Speechless
by Zoa-lii
Summary: TFA. Bumblebee was attacked by Decepticons and his vocal processor was damaged. Now without a voice, how is the talkative bot going to handle it?
1. Tragedy

Ok, so things in italics,_ like this right here_, are characters' thoughts, while things in italics and quotation marks, _"like this for example"_, are things spoken over a phone or comm. Okay? Y'all dig? ;) There's going to be a lot of that in this story, so I thought I'd explain that now.

* * *

A Transformers: Animated Short Story

Chapter One: Tragedy

Sari Sumdac collapsed on her bed after a long day of doing…well, nothing. Everything had been rather quiet lately. No AllSpark fragments showing up, no Decepticon attacks anywhere. It was as if the entire war had been put on hold. But as she had heard Ratchet say, when the enemy seems the quietest, that's when you really have to keep an eye open. Sari enjoyed the quiet for a while, but just like everyone else, she was getting restless. Just wishing something would happen.

As she turned over on her side and pulled the blanket up to her shoulder, she closed her eyes to catch some sleep before another day dawned. Just as she got comfortable, however, the cell phone on her nightstand came to life, playing the ringtone of one of her favorite songs.

"Grrrr…." She rolled over again and slammed her hand down on the phone, grasped it hard, and lifted it up in front of her maroon eyes to check the caller ID. It was Optimus Prime.

_Now, why is he calling me this late? _Sari wondered as she sat up and flipped the cell open.

"Yo, Big Bot! What's up?" she asked.

"_Sari,"_ came his reply, _"it's Optimus."_ That she already knew. Optimus sometimes had a knack for stating the obvious.

"Yeah, I know," Sari smiled slightly, "what is it?"

"_Well, Blitzwing and Lugnut have…resurfaced."_

"What happened?" Sari started to catch on, something bad happened, she could tell by Prime's tone. She gripped her phone with two hands.

"_Bumblebee and Bulkhead were out on patrol, alone, and the Cons came out of nowhere. They just…attacked them."_ Revealed Optimus.

"Are they hurt?" Sari's heart skipped a beat. How badly could they be hurt?

"_Bulkhead escaped with minor injuries. But Bumblebee wasn't so lucky, I'm afraid."_

"Prime, he's ok right? He's alive, right?" Sari threw the covers back and jumped out of her bed.

"_He's in stasis lock, and badly damaged. Ratchet's working on him as we speak."_

"I'm coming right away!" Sari said as she scooped her clothes out the dresser drawer.

"_No need. I'm coming to get you. I'll be there soon."_

* * *

Prime was indeed there soon. Just as Sari stepped out of Sumdac Tower, Optimus Prime, in his fire truck alt mode, pulled up on the side of the road in front. Once Sari hopped in and buckled up, Prime was on his way back to base, the old warehouse building that was now the Autobot headquarters.

Prime wasn't one known for speeding, but because of his worry for his friend, and the fact that Sari was almost in tears from the whole matter, he turned on his lights, his siren, and made it back to base in record time.

As soon as he pulled up, Sari jumped out and ran for the door. Prime transformed and quickly followed her, but at a more reserved pace.

* * *

Sari burst into the main area of the base, the area with the large TV where she and Bumblebee often played their video games. Now, she just saw Prowl sitting there, watching the news, looking for any sign of the Decepticons. He stood when he heard her run in.

Sari didn't acknowledge him, or even turn in his direction, she ran right through that room, and into the hallway, darting in the direction of Ratchet's med bay. She prayed her best friend would be all right once she got there.

Once she neared the med bay, she noticed Bulkhead standing there, leaning against the wall opposite the door. His servos were crossed over his chest and he was staring at the floor. He did look up once he heard tiny footsteps swiftly approaching.

Sari skid to a halt and looked up at her large friend. He looked down at her and tried to give her a reassuring smile. Sari could see that he was still damaged from his encounter with the Decepticons. He still had the dents and scrapes to prove it. Apparently, Ratchet thought the damages inflicted on Bumblebee were too extensive and he had to start repairing them immediately before he saw to anything non-life threatening.

"Bulkhead, how is he?" asked Sari, turning to the door.

"I don't really know, Sari. Those Decepticons surprise attacked us. And Bumblebee got the worst of it before I was able to transform and do anything." He sighed. "It's all my fault."

Sari continued to stare at the door, hoping Ratchet would come out any second with good news. "No it's not, Bulkhead."

"Yeah, you did everything you could." Prime said, coming up followed by Prowl.

"I guess," said Bulkhead, before he began, once again, to stare at the floor.

Sari stepped up to the med bay door, reached up, and knocked. "Ratchet, I brought my key!" She called loud enough so the medic could hear through the door.

They heard movement from behind the door, and then Ratchet opened the door, but not fully, and blocked the way in.

Sari took the key from around her neck and stepped closer, trying to go around Ratchet to get to her best friend.

"Sari," Ratchet said, stopping her from entering, "you should just give me the key, and wait out here." He reached his hand down and waited for Sari to hand it to him.

Sari gripped her key tightly. "But I'm the one who uses the key. Just let me come in and help Bee."

"Sari," Ratchet said in a sigh, "you really need to give me that key." He sounded sad and tired.

"Why can't I come in?"

"It's…uh, pretty bad, kid."

"Just do as he says, Sari." Optimus ordered. He had seen how damaged Bumblebee had been when Bulkhead brought him back. Sari did not need to see him in that condition. He hoped she wouldn't insist.

Much to his relief, Sari did hand the key to Ratchet, who smiled reassuringly at Sari, and then disappeared back behind the med bay door.

There was nothing more they could do, but wait.

They stayed that way for a while longer, before they all gravitated to the main room so they would have somewhere to sit and wait on Ratchet to come out and inform them on the state of their yellow friend.

Sari sat on the arm of the couch, her face in her hands, and her eyes staring at a lone videogame controller.

_Bumblebee should be using that right now._ She thought.

Just then, Ratchet stepped into the room. Everyone stood up and looked at him expectedly. Sari ran a few paces forward, then stopped and looked up at the medic as he handed the key back.

"Ratchet, is Bumblebee ok?" she looked up at him with tear filled eyes.

"The good news is, yes, Sari. He's going to be just fine." The tension in the room suddenly broke, and Sari squealed with joy.

"But I do have some bad news."

"What is it?" Optimus asked.

"Well, I only have so many supplies here. And unfortunately, I don't have what I need to get Bumblebee to a full recovery."

"And what does that mean?" Sari asked. "My key fixes anything!"

"It may_ fix_ everything, but it cannot _replace_ what isn't there anymore. His vocal processor is gone. I don't know what happened to it, but when Bulkhead brought him in, I noticed it wasn't there. Probably ripped out during the fight, after all…he was almost unrecognizable. I won't be able to replace it unless we get the parts from Cybertron. It's a very delicate operation."

"So, this means?" asked Prowl.

"It means, for now anyway, Bumblebee's gonna be mute."

* * *

Well, isn't this a surprise? I've posted something new! Really and truly, this story isn't finished. I've written four chapters in it, and I'm a little bit stuck. I think I know where I want it to go...a little. It's still fuzzy, so I may ask for suggestions once I get to that chapter. ;)

The idea for this story was a thought I had a year back. How would Animated Bumblebee handle being mute like movieverse Bumblebee? He probably wouldn't handle it well.

And I don't know if Sari's All Spark key would have had problems replacing anything, it just worked for the story. So, just imagine it can only repair what's there, not create anything new.


	2. Complications

Chapter Two: Complications

Sari couldn't believe it: Bumblebee, mute. She was sitting next to Bumblebee on the repair table, looking down at his resting form, completely without dent or damage. If things hadn't been so serious before, and the other bots hadn't explained just how close to death the yellow bot had come, she wouldn't have believed it was true to look at him now. Ratchet did a good job repairing him. His armor was now so pristine that it looked like it was newly forged, and he was resting so peacefully it was easy to mistaken the coma-like state with a deep recharge. Of course, that had a lot to do with Sari's AllSpark key and it's never failing ability to remake anything. Remake yes, create out of nothing? No.

Sari sighed as she pulled her knees up to her chin. What would the talkative young bot do once he came out of stasis unable to speak? She didn't know, but she was going to be right here for him when he did. Ratchet said he'd wake up any time now, so Sari waited.

* * *

Slowly, but surely, Bumblebee could feel himself coming back to wakefulness. He couldn't remember what happened to him, his mind still in a fog, but he could remember feeling pain. A quick, overwhelming burst of it. But now, as he came back to consciousness, he felt none. Ratchet must have patched him up already, he figured.

His optics finally came back online, and he realized he was in Ratchet's med bay. He heard murmuring voices off to his right, so he tilted his head to see who was there. He saw Sari sitting on the edge of the examination table. Her back was turned to him, so she didn't notice he had awaked. Bumblebee could see she was listening to Ratchet, Prime, and the others discussing something. They all seemed rather grim.

"How are we gonna tell him?" He heard Bulkhead ask. Tell him what? Were they talking about him?

"As carefully as we can, Bulkhead." Prime said. "We don't want to scare him."

_Uh-oh. What's happened to me? I feel fine. Maybe I should tell them that_. Bumblebee thought. So he sat up and opened his mouth to explain that. Nothing came out.

Upon hearing the movement, everyone turned to look at him. '_What's going on?_' he tried to ask, but nothing came out. How come his throat hurt so badly?

"Bumblebee! You're awake!" Sari jumped up and wrapped her small arms around his neck. He put his arm around her and wanted to say something, but for some reason, he just couldn't. He looked up at Ratchet with pleading eyes, hoping the doc bot would have an explanation.

Ratchet understood the look immediately. "Well, ok, Bumblebee, I guess you wanna know what's wrong with your vocal processor?"

Bumblebee scowled and nodded his head fiercely. _Well, duh!_ He thought. Sari stepped back from her embrace to watch Bumblebee's reaction as the medic continued.

"Do you remember the Decepticon attack?" he asked.

He nodded. Now that Ratchet mentioned it, it all came back to him. He didn't know if it was Lugnut or Blitzwing that got the drop on him, but from the damage that he knew was inflicted on him before he passed out, he guessed it was probably the larger mech.

"You were damaged pretty bad. And, I did all I could, but your vocal processor was missing." Ratchet said hesitantly. "And, Sari's key didn't replace it, and I don't have a replacement part here."

'_What!'_ Bumblebee's jaw dropped, and his servos flew up to his neck. His mouth was working overtime as he tried to get something to come out but failing in his attempts. His whole body went rigid, and then slammed back down on the berth, his optics now closed and every joint still.

Ratchet groaned at the young bot's over-dramatics, and shook his head slowly side to side. "Calm down, kid! I said I didn't have the replacement_ here_! I _can_ get it though!"

Bumblebee chanced to peek open an optic from his death feint to see the medic near his head.

"All I have to do is contact Cybertron and ask them to send the part." Ratchet explained as the yellow compact slowly eased up into a sitting position again.

"We're going to contact the Elite Guard today and ask them how long it will take them to send the part." Optimus explained. "Until then, you're just going to have to accept the fact you can't talk."

Bumblebee frowned and his bottom lip quivered. He looked completely crestfallen, all slouched over like a junk heap, so Sari hugged his arm reassuringly, claiming it was going to be all right in no time.

* * *

Just as Optimus promised, he got in contact with Cybertron and explained the situation. While he was doing that, Bumblebee was sitting in front of the giant TV screen, flipping through the stations in boredom.

"Hey, that's a good show!" Sari said, but Bumblebee didn't even stop and continued on to the next channel and then the next. "Well, fine." Sari grumbled. She crossed her arms and glared at her mute friend. He wasn't paying any attention to what he was doing. He had a very faraway look on his face, as if no sentience inhabited his mind. And for all Sari knew, he'd probably be like that until Prime came in and told them when to expect the replacement part.

But Sari was getting sick of watching channel after channel flash by in a blur of colors and splotches, so she reached out and tried to take the remote away from Bumblebee. Apparently, he wasn't too far-gone because he snatched the remote out of Sari's reach and shook his head no.

"Come on, Bee! You're not even paying attention!" Sari argued.

'_Am too!'_ Bumblebee tried to say, forgetting his problem. He grimaced when he realized Sari wasn't going to understand him, and he sank back into the couch and held back a sob.

Sari didn't need to be told Bumblebee was almost to tears, if robots could cry that is, she could read his expression just fine.

"I'm sorry, Bumblebee." She said. She didn't ask for the remote again, deciding that she could stand awaiting Prime's return with nonsense flashing by on the screen.

* * *

"Well?" Bulkhead asked Prime once he and Ratchet returned from the communications room after explaining the situation to the bots back on Cybertron. They seemed a bit agitated, especially Ratchet, well, a bit more so than normal for the medic.

Everyone gathered around them, Bumblebee standing right in front of them, impatiently awaiting the news. He put his hands on his hips and started tapping his foot like he had seen Sari do when she was impatient.

"Tell him, Ratchet." Optimus ordered, obvious he didn't want to be the bringer of news.

"They can get us the part," the older bot began. Bumblebee grinned and punched the air with his fist. "But," Ratchet continued, "They won't get here for an Earth month, maybe longer."

Bumblebee's arms flopped to his sides and his jaw dropped again. _I don't believe this_, he groaned inwardly.

"Apparently, they don't consider repairing one of our team is important enough to go ahead and send it." Ratchet grumbled. It was obvious he was ticked off but good.

"They said they were having some problems with new Decepticon raids. They'll get it to us as soon as they can." Optimus tried to smooth things over before it turned into an enraged medic and a panicky Bumblebee.

"So, Bumblebee's not going to be able to talk for a month?" Sari asked in utter disbelief. She always thought Ratchet could fix anything. "There's no way we can do a patch-up job?"

"I don't have anything to replace it with!" answered Ratchet, his voice rising.

Bumblebee was now sprawled on the floor, his arms and legs splayed out around him. It was as if the world was about to end for the small, yellow bot. If he could make a sound, they were sure he'd be whining like a small child not getting his way. His scrunched up face sure looked like it.

He sat up and then crossed his arms and glared up at the medic.

"Well, there's nothing I can do!" Ratchet informed, glaring back at the smaller bot.

"So, we're actually going to have peace and quiet around here?" asked Prowl. "Finally."

Bumblebee scowled, and turned his attention away from the medic to the sleek, black and gold cyber-ninja. With a tremendous leap, he lunged for the motorcycle bot and tackled him to the floor. Prowl was easily able to escape, however, and slipped out of Bumblebee's reach before he was able to do anything more. A small grin came to Prowl's face as Bumblebee looked where he had been and then up to where he stood now.

_Oh, it's not going to be quiet around here._ Bumblebee promised himself as he glared daggers at Prowl. _Especially for you. You're going to wish you had never said that!_

* * *

OK, everyone! Here's chapter two! And I actually got it out sooner than I was planning. Are you happy for that? lol Ok, so the next chapter is where the hilarity will truly begin. The first chapter wasn't funny, but the rest are going to be. At least, I hope they will be!

If you like it, then please review! :)


	3. Frustration

Chapter Three: Frustration

Bumblebee tried to go about his day as usual, but he found that without a voice, it was hard to go about everyday life. At first, he decided to play a video game. _Sure_, he thought, _I can do that._ But the yellow Autobot soon realized that when he didn't have a voice to cheer himself on or gloat to those in the room, he couldn't quite get into it as much as he could before. Yes, he was still playing the game with all his skill, but it just wasn't the same. Especially when he couldn't let the others know that he had finally completed Halo on Legendary.

_What a bummer_, he thought to himself as he slumped down in the couch. He limply held the controller as he watched the credits roll by. _What can I do now?_ He thought_. If Sari hadn't gone home, I could've played Slayer with her. But then again, how could I have asked her?_

Not seeing any point to just sitting around, watching the title animation repeating itself, he decided to go see what the others were doing. He jumped up and went first to where Bulkhead usually did his painting. Yes, he was there, working on another…_interesting_ looking painting.

Bumblebee came to a stop beside his giant friend, and looked up at the huge canvas, splattered in purple and green. The purple was in some sort of shape over a green background, but Bumblebee couldn't make it out. He turned his head on its side to try to look at it at another angle, but that didn't help. Giving up, he started to ask Bulkhead what he was painting.

_Right, can't talk. _So, instead, he tapped Bulkhead on the arm, trying to get his attention.

"Hmm?" Bulkhead grunted distractedly and then looked down at him. "Yeah, Bee. What's up?"

Bumblebee pointed to the painting.

"Yeah, it's actually turned out better than I thought it would." Bulkhead said as he dipped his paintbrush in another can of paint, this time blue, and slapped it down on the canvas over the green.

_Turned out better?_ Bumblebee took a double take at the painting again. _How bad were you expecting it to be before?_ Again, Bumblebee tapped Bulkhead and pointed at the picture again, hoping he'd answer this time.

"What?" asked Bulkhead, seemingly clueless. Bumblebee pointed at the painting again, this time over and over, hoping Bulkhead would catch on to what he meant.

"Oh!" Bulkhead said, the meaning finally clicking in his head. He looked back at his artwork, and then back to his little friend, a little skeptically. "You mean you can't tell what it is?"

Bumblebee shook his head no.

"It's a bird flying in the sky over a city!" Bulkhead explained, waving his arms.

Again, Bumblebee stared at the painting, now with the knowledge of what it was, and tried to find the resemblance. _Bird? Looks more like scrambled eggs to me. _If he could have talked, he would have told Bulkhead so. He looked back at his friend, and noticed a large smile on his face. Bumblebee raised an optic ridge.

"You know, if you could talk right now, I can only imagine what you'd be saying. You probably would make fun of it, or say it doesn't look like what it is."

_Yup._

"But, not to be mean or anything, but I'm kinda glad you can't tell me that." Bulkhead's smile grew bigger.

_What?_ Bumblebee scowled at his friend, but Bulkhead didn't look down.

"I said I didn't want to be mean, Bumblebee." said Bulkhead. "It's just nice not to hear your criticism."

_Yeah, yeah, yeah_. Bumblebee mouthed the words, as he stood there with his hands on his hips.

He turned to stalk out of the room, but as he was leaving, Optimus passed him, heading for the exit. Seeing an opportunity to relieve his boredom, Bumblebee chased after him, and skid to a stop in front of the boss bot, nearly causing Optimus to trip over him. He pointed to himself, and then out the exit door.

Unlike Bulkhead, Optimus got what the pointing meant immediately. He frowned and shook his head.

"I'm going on patrol, Bumblebee, and I'm afraid you can't come." Bumblebee's shoulders drooped and he looked up at Optimus with a 'why not' look on his face.

"If we got in trouble, like a Decepticon attack," Optimus explained, as he stepped around the shorter bot, "you wouldn't be able to alert me, or if you got in trouble you couldn't let me know." He stopped in the doorway and looked back. "So until you're repaired, you can't go on patrols, nor can you leave the base."

_But…what? You can't do that! _Bumblebee's jaw dropped, and he spread his arms out wide, trying to relay his feelings.

"I know being cooped up is going to be hard for you, but you're going to have to. It's for your safety after all." Optimus Prime then turned around and stepped out of the building, transforming as soon as he had. So, he left Bumblebee there, his shoulders slumped over and his face downcast, looking at the floor.

"He's right, y'know?" Bulkhead called from behind him, still painting the 'bird' on the canvas. "It'll be too dangerous for you out there. It wouldn't even be safe for us with you. What if _you_ notice something, and we _don't_? How would you warn us?"

Bumblebee, feeling all the more dejected, shuffled off into the monitor room, and sat down in front of it, but didn't turn it on.

_This is going to be the longest, hardest, boringest month ever!_

* * *

Bumblebee hadn't remembered falling asleep, but he found himself waking up from recharge, still sprawled over the couch.

_I took a nap? I don't take naps! That's what old, lazy bots do!_ Bumblebee jumped up immediately, ashamed of himself, and determined to stay wide-awake.

_Now, I just need to think of something to do before that happens again._ He tapped his chin as he looked around for something to catch his interest, and that what when he noticed a noise. A long, drawn out humming noise.

_Oh, Prowl's meditating somewhere nearby_. Bumblebee reasoned_. Well, his annoying humming isn't going to get to me_! He bent down at the foot of the TV, where he kept all his video games, and started rummaging through them, trying to pick a good one to play. After narrowing it down to the game he hadn't played in a while, he put the disc into the system and plopped down on the concrete couch with his controller.

As the opening menu came up, and images of zombies flashed by, Bumblebee noticed that the humming was still going on. So, since Prowl was still at it, Bumblebee turned up the volume on the TV and then pressed play. He didn't play for very long and had only killed a hundred or so zombies, but the humming was still there, faint and hardly detectable, but that's just what made it more annoying.

_That's it! _Bee paused the game and tossed the control aside._ I'm gonna make that crazy cyber-ninja shut up!_

He jumped up and marched to Prowl's quarters. Not bothering to knock, he barged right in and found Prowl with his back turned to the door, sitting on a mat in the middle of the room, deep in meditation. Now that he was here, though, he wasn't quite sure what he was going to do. He couldn't yell at him, order him to stop, so he had to think of something. But thinking of motions to use to get the other bot to understand he wanted him to stop the humming was hard, if not impossible. Still, he had to try something if he was going to get any peace, so he just decided to roll with it. He came up and tapped Prowl on his shoulder.

Of course the ninja-bot didn't even move, and more to Bumblebee's annoyance, didn't stop the annoying, monotonous humming.

_Come on!_ This time, Bumblebee shook Prowl's shoulder, clapped his hands near the side of his face, anything to get his attention.

Nothing. Except now that Bumblebee looked at him, he thought he saw a faint smile on Prowl's face.

_You are so enjoying this, aren't you, o mystical ninja-bot? OK, no more Mr. Nice Guy! _Bumblebee stomped out of the room, a mischievous grin forming as he thought of the perfect revenge.

Prowl didn't once stop humming, but he did look over his shoulder as the younger bot stormed out of the room. Prowl shrugged, not getting why Bumblebee seemed to give up so easily, but went back to meditating.

But Bumblebee wasn't defeated. He knew one thing that would stop the ninja's meditating, and get his revenge all at once. As he crept back into Prowl's room, he did his best to remain silent and stealthy. When he stopped directly behind Prowl, he raised his hands over his head, and grinned evilly at the thought of what he was about to do. Just as he began to swing, however, he heard someone shout.

"Bumblebee! Stop!" It was Optimus, returned from patrol. Bumblebee turned his head to see Prime standing in the doorway, and then guiltily up to the metal rod held above his head. _Oh, I'm so slagged_.

Prowl had stopped meditating once he heard Optimus shout, and he turned around to see what was going on. When he saw the metal rod above his head, he realized his close call. He stood up as Optimus stepped into the room and snatched the bat from Bumblebee's servos.

"Bumblebee! What in the universe do you think you're doing?" he demanded to know.

The yellow bot just crossed his arms and looked away from the two bot staring at him.

"You were actually going to hit me with that?" Prowl asked, pointing to the metal bat, now in Optimus' hand.

Bumblebee glanced at Prowl, nodded his head once, and then turned away again.

"I don't get it. Why?" Optimus asked, turning between Bumblebee and Prowl, hoping he'd get an answer. Of course, he didn't expect one from Bumblebee, but he couldn't think of anything Prowl could have done to get Bumblebee so mad.

"I think I may have pushed him a little too far." Prowl confessed. Optimus stared at him, completely astonished that the usually calm ninja-bot would pick a fight.

* * *

I didn't know if I was going to get this posted today, but yay! I found time! I hope you all enjoy this recent addition to the story. Bumblebee is so fun to write about, I'll tell you. :)

Clicky the review button if you like. Actually, do more than just click it, post a review too! Tell me if you liked it or if I need some improvement somewhere. Or if you have situation you would like to see Bumblebee get into, private messege me!


	4. Communication

Chapter Four: Communication

"Ok, Bee. Obviously, you need a way to communicate with everyone." Sari said, beginning to explain her idea with everybot the next morning. When Sari arrived, she declared she knew a way to help with Bumblebee's problem. She had a few ideas, and they would work through them until they found one that worked. Needless to say, Bumblebee was anxious to try them.

_Anything to make myself understood_! He thought as Sari continued through her plan.

"There are some humans who lose their voices for some reason or another, and I've seen movies where they try to use these different ways. Since Bumblebee has a hard time getting bots' attention," Sari continued to explain as she unzipped the backpack sitting beside her, "I thought something like this would do the trick."

Bumblebee leaned closer as Sari rummaged through the bag for a second or two, and then pulled out something bright red with a gold horn on one end. She handed it to Bumblebee who looked it over, not understanding what it was used for.

"It's an air horn. I dug it out of my toy box." Sari explained. "You squeeze the red end to get attention. Try it."

Bumblebee held out the horn and pressed down on the red end, just like Sari instructed. No one was too happy with the result.

_Hoooooooooonnnnkkk_.

"Ouch," Sari covered her ears and grimaced, immediately hating this idea.

Bumblebee, however, grinned as all the possibilities this device could offer flashed through his mind. He looked at all his friends in the room, and noticed for the first time that they were all covering their audio receptors.

Prime was the first to recover. "Maybe, Bumblebee should only use that for emergencies." He suggested.

"How about _never_!" Ratchet grumbled, snatching the loud horn away from Bumblebee before he was tempted to use it again.

"Ok, so maybe that wasn't such a good idea," Sari relented.

_I liked it!_ Bumblebee reached his hand out for it, knowing Ratchet was probably not going to give it back to him. Which he didn't. He held it way out of Bumblebee's reach, and then tossed it aside.

"Ok," Sari followed the horn until it crashed on the floor, and rolled under the TV monitor, out of reach unless someone moved the humungous screen. "Well, then there's always charades!" She looked at Bumblebee. "Do you know what charades is?"

He shook his head no, still throwing hate-filled glares at the medic.

"Well, when you play charades, you have to guess what the other person playing means, while they act out a clue or point to something. You usually guess movie or book titles, but we can use it to get your point across, I'll bet." Sari jumped up and held up two fingers. "What I'm gonna have you guess has two words." She declared. She pointed to herself and waited to see if they would comprehend.

"The first word is you." Prowl guessed. Sari nodded and then rubbed her stomach in a circular motion.

"You have a stomach ache!" Bulkhead presumed. Sari shook her head.

_She's hungry!_ Bumblebee figured, but there was no way he could tell them that.

"You're hungry." Optimus guessed.

"You got it, Prime!" Sari congratulated.

_Yeah, only after I did_, Bumblebee thought and then crossed his arms.

"See how simple that is, Bee?" Sari said as she sat down on the concrete sofa and pulled a candy bar from her backpack. "I really am hungry too. Ever since Dad went missing, I've only been able to eat small snacks. I'm only eight, I can't cook yet." She complained as she took a bite of the chocolate bar.

_How can I charade 'I'll take you to Burger Bot'? _Bumblebee wondered, but realized after only a few seconds of thinking, that charades was an inadequate way to communicate.

"I also have one more idea," Sari spoke around a mouth full of chocolate. She reached into her pack again and this time pulled out a small whiteboard with an erasable marker.

"This seems like the best idea. Bumblebee can just write down what he wants to say."

_Now, this is the first idea I like…well besides the horn_. Bumblebee took the whiteboard and scribbled something on it. He then held it up for everyone to see.

"I hope you can write English, Bumblebee," said Sari, scanning over the scrawl, "because I can't read Cybertronian."

_Oh, oops._

"I can't even read his Cybertronian." Ratchet said, squinting at the letters Bumblebee hastily slapped down. "What does that say?"

Bumblebee groaned, or would have, if he could make a sound, and erased his sentence with the eraser Sari handed to him. He then rewrote it, but this time in English words.

"_I want to get out of here. Want me to take you to Burger Bot?"_

"Sure!"

Just as the two were about to make a mad dash outside, Prime stood and placed himself in front of them. Bumblebee skid to a stop, almost ramming the boss bot.

"Bumblebee can't go anywhere. Not until he can get his vocal processor repaired." Optimus had his arms crossed and the no-nonsense look on his face. He meant what he said and wasn't going to take any arguments. But that didn't stop the two from trying.

"What could happen at a fast food joint? The Decepticons don't like burgers." Sari groaned.

Bumblebee scribbled on his pad. _"Me neither, but I wanna get out of the base once in a while!"_

"It's too risky." Optimus shook his head. "If something happens, you couldn't alert the rest of us. You could be hurt again or maybe worse this time."

Bumblebee held up the board. _"Aww, thanks for caring!"_

"Well, if you're worried about that, then just send someone else with us." Sari suggested. Bumblebee nodded his approval of the idea.

"Well…."

"Please?" Sari looked up at Prime with her large, puppy-dog eyes, trying to win him over. Bumblebee mimicked the action.

Optimus caved. "All right. I guess if someone else goes with Bumblebee, there's no problem with it."

Bumblebee punched the air with his fist and Sari squealed happily.

"Bulkhead, you want to come with us?" Sari asked, turning away from the Prime.

"But once you're finished at the Burger Bot, you all are coming straight back here." Prime added before Sari and Bumblebee could drag Bulkhead out of the warehouse with them.

_Wha-?_ Bumblebee pulled up the dry erase board again and scribbled once again on it, complaining how Optimus wasn't being fair. He also added a few choice words at the bottom of the board.

Optimus scowled at Bumblebee's use of language, but let it slide. "The longer you're out there, the more you're tempting fate. We can't detect the Decepticon energy signatures, so you never know when something might happen."

Sari opened her mouth, ready to protest on Bumblebee's behalf, but Optimus held up a hand to silence her. "I don't want any more arguments. Just go now, before I change my mind."

"Fine." Sari relented. She and Bumblebee turned from the group and left the building. Bulkhead reassured Prime before he followed.

"It'll be all right," he said, "I'll keep an optic on 'em."

Optimus watched the three leave, Bumblebee nearly jumping for joy, almost as if he had been cooped up in the base for weeks, not just a day. He always had to have something going on, and hated a slight lull in activities. Prime knew that there probably wouldn't be anything to worry about on such a short trip like to Burger Bot and back, but he still didn't think letting Bumblebee go out was such a good idea. He had made his decision, so he couldn't make them stay now. Besides, remembering the incident a few hours earlier with Prowl and Bumblebee, he was somewhat glad to see the speech-deprived bot leave for a few hours. It meant he wouldn't have to stop Bumblebee from trying something else.

* * *

I liked this chapter, trying to figure out what would help Bumblebee communitcate and what would not. I have plans for the next chapter, thanks to my sister, but it will take a while to get it up. Probably longer than the other updates have been. So I'm just warning you all. :)

The review button wants to be clicked!


	5. Interview

To give credit where credit is due. My younger sister was the one who came up with this idea. Actually, she planned nearly all of this chapter. So, the reason this one is the way it is, is because of her.

The game Transformers: War for Cybertron is out today! Yay! I'm not one for video games, but hey, this one is about Transformers, right?

* * *

Chapter Five: Interview

Sari was correct, nothing happened at the Burger Bot, for which they were all grateful. After Sari had her lunch, they decided to go for a drive around Detroit. Not much else to do, so they figured why not. Bumblebee was speeding down the highway, slightly above the speed limit, Sari riding shotgun and Bulkhead trailing behind. They didn't have any destination in mind, but Bumblebee wasn't ready to head back to HQ yet.

"Well, there's always the mall," Sari suggested, trying to help pick a destination for their ride.

_And what am I supposed to do at the mall_? Bumblebee thought._ Shop for clothes? Ha ha!_

"Wait, you can't do anything at the mall." Sari remembered, taking a sip of her vanilla shake.

"We're _supposed_ to be heading back to the base, guys!" Bulkhead called from behind as he changed lanes so he could keep sight of Bumblebee. "You heard what Prime said."

_Well, he hasn't contacted us yet, so we don't have to go back yet. _Bumblebee reasoned to himself. He wished he could still communicate, but while he was in vehicle mode, he couldn't use the dry erase board. While they drove over the twisting maze of New Detroit streets, he racked his brain for new ways to converse while only half listening to Sari's suggestions and Bulkhead's complaints coming over the radio.

"I say we should head back now. Hey! It's about time for those Stargate reruns anyway. You and Bumblebee like to watch them."

"They're playing ones we've seen a number of times already. We don't want to watch those again." Sari replied to Bulkhead's weakening attempts to get them to turn around and head back. If only he realized that the more he pushed them to return to the warehouse, the more they determined not to.

"Let's just go to the park, Bee. We're right here at it anyway." Sari said, pointing out the windshield to the passing iron fencing surrounding the only part of Detroit not cluttered with skyscrapers and cement.

_Yeah, yeah. Why not? I can't think of anything else to do._ Bumblebee turned on his blinker and maneuvered around the traffic to turn into the parking lot right outside the entrance. He waited for Sari to jump out, before transforming and standing up straight. Bulkhead came up behind him and followed his action, now towering over them.

"_So what are we gonna do?"_ Bumblebee held out his eraser board at Sari's eye level. She shrugged.

"I dunno. How about we head to the playground? They have a new see-saw now." Sari said, throwing a grin in Bumblebee's direction.

Bulkhead laughed. "Better keep Bumblebee away from that one!"

Bumblebee stuck the dry erase board in his large friend's face. It read: _"You're never going to let that one go, huh? I didn't mean to break the last one! Sari forced me to try it anyway!"_

"It was still funny though." Bulkhead smiled, remembering that day. Sari was laughing at the exchange, and still suffering from giggle fits, led the two bots to the playground section of the park.

Once they got there, Sari eased herself into one of the swings and set to finishing her shake, while Bumblebee sat down nearby, and lazily pushed her back and forth. Bulkhead leaned against a tree, making it tilt under his weight.

They weren't there but for a few minutes when they heard a call: "Autobots! Autobots!" The two bots looked up to see a female reporter running in their direction. She wore the typical trench coat and hat with a tag reading 'Press' stuck into the band. She was holding a red notebook and pencil in her hands.

The lady journalist skid to a halt in front of the small group, panting slightly because of her sprint.

"I was wondering if you two would be so kind as to brief me on the latest Decepticon battle. The one that occurred a couple of days ago? Were you two the ones present?"

"Yeah," Bulkhead answered as he stood and stepped closer to her. The reporter flipped open her notebook and began to jot something down.

"If I'm not mistaken, your names are Bulkhead and Bumblebee. Is this correct?"

"Yeah, I'm Bulkhead."

Bumblebee waved at the reporter.

"Good. Well, I would just like to know what exactly happened. West Dodge Street was completely destroyed in that attack, you know?"

"Yes, and we're going to get on that and fix it. We've just been trying to help Bumblebee over here recover from it. He was pretty damaged."

"Oh really?" The reporter looked up from her notes to Bumblebee with keen interest in her eyes. "What exactly happened to you?" she asked, ready to start writing down every detail.

Bumblebee whipped out his dry erase board once again and began furiously scribbling. Eager to tell his tale of heroism.

"He was pummeled and lost his voice." Bulkhead answered flatly.

"Can you explain in more detail, please?"

"Sure. It was late, and we were making our rounds before heading back to HQ, when all of a sudden the two Decepticons, Blitzwing and Lugnut, dropped from the sky. We had no idea they were so near us, and before I could do anything, Lugnut had grabbed Bee by the neck and was beating the slag out of him." Bulkhead was cut off when Bumblebee jumped on him and covered his mouth with his hand. He grinned at the news reporter, trying to make it seem that he wasn't doing anything, and then turned back to Bulkhead and frowned, handing him his white board. Bulkhead read over it, then turned to Bumblebee, still clinging to him, and shook his head.

"But that's not what happened, Bee." Bulkhead said, placing the small, yellow bot on the ground. Bumblebee, as soon as his stabilizing servos touched the sand, erased a part of the scribble, and rewrote something, then held it in the reporter's direction.

Bulkhead snatched it away before she could make any of it out, and read what the smaller one added. He raised an optic ridge and looked down at his friend. "Oh, come on, Bumblebee, you did _not_ almost defeat Megatron. You were out of it and laying in pieces within half a cycle! I had to fight off those 'Cons by myself."

Bumblebee made slicing motions across his throat, trying to get Bulkhead to be quiet once he noticed the reporter jotting down everything that they said.

"So, Bumblebee was knocked out just as the fight started?" the reporter asked to clarify.

"Yep," Bulkhead answered, totally ignoring his friend. Bumblebee turned to Sari for help, but the little eight-year-old took a big gulp from her milkshake and pretended not to notice anything happening.

_Grrr! He's going to embarrass me all over Detroit!_ Bumblebee groaned to himself, as he listened to Bulkhead continue to tell the reporter of the events of that attack, not going light on the fact that Bumblebee never knew what hit him.

When the journalist thanked Bulkhead and left, Bumblebee crossed his arms and frowned, not even giving a glance in Bulkhead's direction.

"I had to tell her the truth, Bumblebee." He explained, glancing down at the dry erase board still in his servo. "Saying that you fought off five Decepticons _and_ Megatron himself before sustaining mortal wounds was nothing near the truth."

Bumblebee snatched away the board and wrote something else on it. _"You could have at least let me keep my dignity by saying I threw a few punches in at least."_

"I think the truth is more important than your ego, little buddy."

"_I'm not talking to you for the rest of the day."_

Sari laughed when she came over to read Bumblebee's latest message. "But, Bumblebee, you can't talk to him anyway! Even if you wanted too!"

"_I mean I'm not going to use this thing to communicate with him for the rest of the day!"_

The yellow Autobot stomped off, quite mad at his two friends, who were following him, laughing the whole way to the street. He transformed once he got there and sped off in the direction of the base, not waiting for Sari to ride with him.

"Wow." Sari and Bulkhead watched him weave through traffic in his agitated drive, until he was out of sight. "You think he's really mad at us?"

"He'll get over it. He always does." Bulkhead said as he transformed and opened a door for Sari. "Now come on, Squirt. Gotta get back home now."

"'Kay," Sari jumped in, and they started to follow Bumblebee's trail home, since he was now out of sight.

* * *

They arrived at the old warehouse after thirty minutes, and Bulkhead waited for Sari to climb out from the passenger side before transforming and following her through the door. They came in to the sight of Bumblebee flopped over the armrest of the couch with Optimus standing over him.

"Now, what's wrong, Bumblebee? Prowl said he saw you come in here sulking." They heard Optimus say as they entered the room. Bumblebee wrote something on his whiteboard and held it up for Optimus to see. Sari and Bulkhead couldn't read it from where they stood in the doorway, but Optimus sighed once he saw what the little yellow bot wrote.

"_Everyone's against me!"_

"Everyone is not against you, Bumblebee. What makes you say that?" Optimus asked, curious as to why the usually happy bot seemed so down. Bumblebee erased that message and wrote another one.

"_Everyone hates me."_

"No they don't. Now tell me what happened."

He held up the board again. _"Nobody likes me."_

"Now stop that! Why are you saying this?"

"_Because it's true!"_ Bumblebee frowned; he slammed the back of his servo over his eyes dramatically.

"And why do you think it's true?" Optimus groaned, casting a look up at the two spectators in the doorway. They looked at each other, and then back at Prime and Bumblebee.

"_Nobody likes me anymore."_

"That's not true. And you know it." There was a moment of silence, and Optimus thought Bumblebee would quit his silent whining. But Bumblebee proved him wrong when he held up the sign once more.

"_Everyone's against me!"_

"Oh, here we go again!" Optimus threw his arms up in the air in defeat. "Bulkhead! What happened?"

* * *

Yay! Chapter five! And I must say I appreciate all the reviews and the faves. I'm glad so many people are liking this story. ^v^

Please continue to show your support and review some more! :D


	6. Disappointment

Chapter Six: Disappointment

The days and weeks dragged by the same for Bumblebee and the others. Bumblebee became really good at charades and his writing on the board got so fast, it hardly took any time at all. Unfortunately, he still moped around, whined whenever his handicap hindered him from doing something, and increasingly got more restless as time went by. Especially so when Optimus would make him stay at HQ when something happened or they were out fixing the city. Sometimes Bumblebee went with Sari to Sumdac Tower while she tried to run her father's company and search for the professor. He helped as her assistant; though taking calls was a bit difficult. This was the one place where Bumblebee could stay without a baby sitter. Mainly because of the tower's defense systems. If something happened there, the Autobots would arrive in no time to help, and Bumblebee wouldn't get in trouble. He hated it that his friends treated him like danger was out there searching for him. He tried explaining many times that he was not accident prone, nor was he a danger magnet. He got the feeling everyone disagreed though. Especially because they always sent someone to pick him up. Optimus thought it was a necessary precaution to keep the small Autobot safe, but it was just a huge annoyance to him.

But none of that could hurt his good mood today. It had been a whole month since the accident, and today was the day the Autobots were supposed to arrive with his replacement part. Optimus told him that they would contact him as soon as the team heard something, and he paced around, waiting for that call. He didn't help Sari much today, but she knew the cause of his excitement, and didn't mind or pester him too much when he filed some documents wrong. She just made him do it over again. Well, for the first few times. It eventually became clear that his mind wasn't on his work, so Sari had to tell him to quit, so she wouldn't have to redo everything he did.

Without anything to do, Bumblebee just paced the room like he had ants in his pants, well, that is, if he wore pants. Closing time for the company didn't come fast enough for the mute mech, and when it did, he was out of the room and darting for the elevator way before Sari could register that he even left the room. She followed him, purposely taking longer than necessary to get to the same elevator.

As she strolled out of the office, she saw Bumblebee hopping up and down, holding up his sign for her to read.

"_Hurry up! I wanna get my voice back!"_

Sari giggled as she slowed down some more, now walking a pace considered slow by even a tortoise's standard. Throwing his white board down, Bumblebee ran out of the elevator, snatched up the eight year old, and jumped back through the doors just as they were closing. As the elevator made it's way down, Bumblebee cast a scowl at Sari as she laughed, still held in his arms.

"You know how easy it is to push your buttons?" she said between giggles.

Bumblebee placed her back on the ground and picked up the board and marker.

"_You're getting worse than Prowl. Remember what I almost did to him when he teased me?"_

"Yeah, but you're not going to hit me with a metal rod, are you?" Sari said, grinning because she knew Bumblebee wouldn't make good on his threat.

"_No, but I am thinking about something having to do with giant balloons."_ As was his written reply.

"Like what?" But he didn't answer her question, no matter how hard she pestered him about it. She finally quit trying to make the silent bot reveal his plot when the elevator opened up to the main lobby.

Sari went over to the front desk where the desk clerk robot always stood. "Is everyone gone already?" she asked. She and Bee were usually the last ones out of the building anyway.

"Yes, everyone clocked out a long time ago."

"Good. I'm gonna stay with the Autobots, so you lock up the whole place."

"Sure thing, hon." Came the droid's reply.

Sari and Bumblebee left the lobby and the doors shut behind them and locked with a click. The lights dimmed as the whole Sumdac Industries shut down for the night.

As soon as they stepped through the doors, they saw Prowl drive up, sent by Optimus to escort Bumblebee home.

"Hey, Prowl." Sari greeted with a wave as they came to the curb where Bumblebee transformed, eager to get home to see about his repairs.

"Hello, Sari." Prowl returned the greeting with a nod from his hologram driver. As the girl climbed into Bumblebee's alt mode, Prowl spoke again, "When I left the base, there was an incoming transmission, Bumblebee. I think it was from Cybertron."

Just knowing that it was his new voice box being delivered, Bumblebee took off in the direction of the base, tires screeching on the asphalt. He was in such a hurry, that he didn't even wait long enough for Sari to buckle up. She held onto her seat as Bumblebee swerved around what few cars were on the streets at this late hour, and took the turns like Megatron himself was on his tail.

"Bumblebee, slow down!" Prowl called as he tried to keep up with the over-eager bot. "You're going to hurt someone!" It didn't seem like he heard him however, because Bumblebee didn't slow the pace one bit, he just kept barreling down the highway. And not watching what was in the road in front of him, his tire ran over an old cola can, and flung it behind him. It hit Prowl's motorcycle form, scratching some of the black paint as it bounced off. The Cyber-ninja swerved a little when it hit him and came to a sliding halt as Bumblebee continued on, oblivious. Fortunately, when the can bounced off Prowl it landed in a nearby recycle bin on the side of the road.

"Oh, look. Bumblebee actually recycled." Prowl said as he began following the yellow speed demon at a safer, yet still fast, pace. Just keeping him in sight.

Prowl finally did catch up with Bumblebee, when the speedster was forced to slow so he could break without going through the brick walls of the warehouse. He probably wouldn't have minded so much, had he been alone, but as it were, he had Sari to think about, and she probably wouldn't like making a new entrance for the base.

She was gripping the seat so tightly her dark fingers had turned white and her eyes were so wide, Bumblebee was sure they were in danger of falling out. When he opened the passenger door so she could get out, she didn't budge. Probably too shaken from the high-speed travel to realize they were stopped, but with some coaxing from Prowl, she was finally able to crawl out. Bumblebee transformed as soon as she did, and would have been apologizing profusely if he were able to speak. Before he could whip out the dry erase board and write 'sorry' a dozen times, Prowl glared at him and pointed to the door, indicating he should just turn around and enter the building. Bumblebee's head and shoulders drooped as he led the way into the old warehouse, Sari following with Prowl at her side.

Bumblebee's mood didn't last very long. As soon as he stepped inside, he suddenly remembered why he had been in such a hurry to get here in the first place. He ran through the rooms, to the main one, where he figured everyone would be congregated. Just as he predicted, everyone was there: Ratchet, Optimus, and Bulkhead. He made a beeline to the medic, hopping up and down, eager for the good news.

What he didn't notice, that Prowl and Sari did as soon as they stepped into the room, was Ratchet's very ticked off expression, and Optimus and Bulkhead's similar scowls.

"What's wrong?" Sari whispered, only loud enough for Prowl to hear. The ninja-bot looked down at her and just shrugged. They went in closer to find out.

"Bumblebee, stop." Ratchet growled, but Bumblebee kept hopping, right in the medic's face, making him dizzy. "Kid, I said stop!"

Optimus stepped up and placed a servo on Bumblebee's shoulder, forcing the hyperactive bot to cease hopping. "Bumblebee, you need to listen."

"_Prowl said we were getting a signal from Cybertron." _Bumblebee scribbled on the white board, in his haste, barely making it legible.

"And I regret saying that." Prowl spoke up, now standing next to Prime, Sari was still shaking from her ordeal and staying close to him.

"What he do?" Bulkhead asked, from his place on the concrete couch. Prowl frowned and just shook his head.

"_And I'm sorry, ok? Now, what did they say? Is the replacement part here yet?"_ Bumblebee looked at Ratchet expectantly, holding the board in front of him.

The old medic just sighed, or the Transformer version of it. "We did get a transmission. But it wasn't what you want, kid." At this, he crossed his arms, and continued with his explanation, "Cybertron Command said that the shipment has been delayed. Mainly because of recent Decepticon movements. It could take another few weeks before they try again."

Ratchet and everyone else look curiously at Bumblebee, wondering what kind of reaction they would get out of him this time. For a while, Bumblebee just stared at nothing, his optics not focusing. Then suddenly, he threw back his head in a silent wail and fell to his knees. His arms reaching up to the heavens, and the white board falling to the ground. He bent over and started pounding the floor in a completely toddler-like temper tantrum. He shook his head back and forth violently, all in a silent attempt to scream 'NOOO!'

After nearly five minutes of this display, the Autobots and Sari stared at Bumblebee with complete boredom on their faces, knowing he was exaggerating. When Bumblebee calmed down a little, he sat up in a sitting position and stared down at his hands, unmoving.

"I was _really_ wanting to give those bots a piece of my mind. In fact, when they finally get here, I just may do that!" Bumblebee looked up at Ratchet and shook his head in determined agreement.

_Yeah! You tell 'em, Doc Bot! _

"Imagine the nerve of those bots, making me endure these antics longer than necessary!" He finished, pointing a servo at Bumblebee, still kneeling on the floor.

Bumblebee quit nodding in agreement and his jaw dropped in disbelief. _Say what?_

Now he was glaring, his face scrunched up in an angry frown. He heard snickering coming from Optimus and Prowl, and Bulkhead was snorting in laughter. Bumblebee even noticed Sari covering her mouth, trying to keep herself from giggling. He looked at her with utter betrayal. Of everyone present, he was sure she was on _his_ side. Now, she was laughing with the rest of them!

"I-I'm s-s-sorry, Bumblebee!" Sari tried to speak around her laughter, but was doing a terrible job at it.

Bumblebee threw his hands up in the air in exasperation, not knowing what to do about the room full of laughing hyenas.

_I'm going to my room. _He got up and stalked out, still hearing the laughter, as he stomped down the hallways. _You think you have friends! And then all of a sudden you're nothing but a thing to laugh at! I hope they all lose their vocal processors. Then _I_ will laugh at _them_._

* * *

Sorry for the wait, people. The reason is that I got a minor case of writer's block for this chapter. In fact, this whole story has become a struggle against writer's block. I'm not happy with this chapter, but I hope the remaining chapters will actually be good. Maybe I can find a creative muse somewhere.

So, click the review button and leave a review. ^^


	7. Vanishing

And before I start, I would like to thank **DreamStoryWeaver** for the idea that inspired this and the upcoming chapters. Thanks a lot! You got me out of that bad writer's block!

* * *

Chapter Seven: Vanishing

Long after everyone had retired to their quarters, down the darkened hallways of the warehouse slinked a shadowed figure, carefully stepping so not to make a sound. At first glance, one would think that this was a burglar, trying to sneak his way to where the valuables were kept. But if one were paying attention, one would see that the figure wasn't breaking in, but breaking out. It was Bumblebee, creeping for the front exit, silently as a giant alien robot could creep. He had thought this idea over in his processor many, many times, thought not enough times to talk himself out of it. If his companions decided to treat him the way they were and make fun of him at every turn, it would serve them well if he suddenly went missing.

As he silently opened the front door and slinked out, he suddenly realized he didn't know where to go. His plan hadn't gone that far ahead. Oh well, there had to be somewhere that the other Autobots wouldn't think about. He transformed and decided to think of a hideout as he drove down the semi-deserted streets of New Detroit. He didn't care where he hid; only that it had to be far away from the warehouse. Somewhere that was completely out of the way and a place that seemed like somewhere he would never, ever go.

Upon passing thousands of skyscrapers, he noticed he made it to the shore of Lake Erie. Looking out over the waves, he remembered Dinobot Island. That was definitely not a place he would normally go, so far from civilization and inhabited by bumbling Dinobots. Prowl and Bulkhead had only recently told Optimus that the Dinobots were there, so Bumblebee didn't think that it would be a place Prime would want to return to so soon.

Hey, it was the perfect place! He just had to steer clear of the three monsters until he was ready to head back to the base. And staying hidden from a bunch of stupid dinos wouldn't be too hard, he figured. So heading to the docks, he kept an optic open for a raft or something he could use to get to the island. He didn't have need of one of the large barges at port, nor did he need the ferry. Someone would notice any one of those things missing, and he didn't want to get in trouble for stealing.

He finally found an old shack with the sign 'Boats for Rent' nailed up to the top of the doorway. He peered in through the smudged window, trying to see if there was something his size around. He was the smallest of the Autobots, but to humans and their equipment, he was still large. A fact he rather enjoyed, though right now, he was a little annoyed with it. But looking up the dock near the rental place, he noticed a few more boats docked there for the night. And what to his surprise, a raft which gave the occasional tours on Lake Erie for the tourists. _Score!_

Hopping on the raft, and zapping the mooring line with one of his stingers, he was on his way. Uh oh, the wrong way. He stuck his servo in the water and corrected his direction, and began laboriously paddling towards Dinobot Island.

_Yep, the guys shouldn't have been teasing me. They'll learn. Ha!_ After thinking that, however, Bumblebee felt a pang of guilt. He had run off in the middle of the night, without telling, and only a note written on his white board, which he left in his room on his recharge berth. He knew everyone would be worried about him, well, at least Sari, Bulkhead, and possibly Optimus. Ratchet and Prowl would probably be glad to be rid of him!

Realizing that, his guilty conscience vanished, and he paddled on even more determinedly. He would reach the island by sunrise, and he would paddle the raft to the other side of the island to keep it hidden, just in case anyone came by the island, noticed the raft, and reported it.

But Bumblebee's arm started to drag after an hour out. The paddling was hard work, so pulling his servo out of the water and shaking off the droplets, he decided to rest for just a little while before attempting again. He settled more comfortably on the boat, when his foot hit the pile of line on the edge of the raft, near the human-sized seats. Hidden from view underneath the seats and only revealed now when he kicked the line, was a long paddle. Groaning to himself, he grabbed up the oar, and plunked it into the water, starting up the paddling again, this time, making better headway.

_This raft is even against me. I won't be surprised if it springs a leak! Wait! Forget I said-err-thought that! I can't swim!_

Just as Bumblebee had planned, he moored his raft on the sandy beach as the sun broke over the horizon, casting its red and orange beams over the sleeping world, caressing it to wakefulness. But of course, Bumblebee being the nature-hater he was, didn't notice the fresh, early morning beauty, and stepped into the shaded jungle on the island, which was busy with life, even this early in the morning. He expected the city was just getting busy as well. Man, how he missed the concrete and paved roads. He brushed some trampled terrain off his foot as he continued to stumble along, looking for a good place to hang out until he got ready to go home.

He didn't go too far on the island before he heard tremendous stomping and crashing. Stopping to figure out what the sound was and where it was, he suddenly realized it was heading in his direction, fast! Whatever it was, was huge, the crashing testified to that. And the only things on this island besides a few birds, small reptiles, and insects were…. _Dinobots!_

Spinning around to face the sound, and then ducking away as a tree came crashing to the ground, Bumblebee caught sight of three huge, metallic, and _angry_ beasts. _Oh slag!_

The Dinobots surrounded him, the Pterodactyl alighting on a tree on the right above his head, the Triceratops pawing the ground to his left, and the biggest, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, roaring in his face.

The T-rex transformed to his robot mode, holding his flaming sword before him, and growling at the hapless Bumblebee.

"Intruder! Dinobots squash puny, yellow bot!" Grimlock raised the sword above his head and began the swing downward to split Bee in two.

Sari awoke in her borrowed room at the Autobot base. This was her usual habitat when she came over to stay with them. And over the course of her time with them, she had filled it with many of the things she loved; her toys, some jars of candy, and the room also held her sleeping bag and pillow. After spending the whole night on the floor however, she was wishing she had stayed home in her own nice, comfy bed. Crawling out and not bothering to change out of her pajamas, Sari left the spacious room to go to the even larger living room of the base. She had expected Bumblebee to have the TV on already, but it was off, and the yellow Autobot wasn't there. Thinking it odd only slightly, Sari shrugged away the feeling and sat down on the concrete couch herself, picking up the remote, and turning the TV on to the cartoon channel. Most of what came on was junk anyway, but there was always a chance something good would happen along.

Just as her stomach began to grumble for something to fill it, Bulkhead and Prime came into the room. Sari stood up on the couch and looked over the back.

"Good morning!" she sang out, a cheesy grin on her face. Both Autobots returned the smile.

"Morning, Sari. Sleep well?" Bulkhead asked as he came to see what Sari was watching on TV.

"Well, yes and no." Sari giggled at the puzzled look Bulkhead turned to her upon hearing her odd answer. "It took me forever to get to sleep, but once I did, I didn't wake up once! So, yes and no!" she explained.

"Oh, ok then. I get it."

"So, where's Bumblebee?" Prime asked, taking a step closer to the two. "He's always up by now, playing a video game or watching TV."

"I don't know. Haven't seen him yet." Sari answered, shaking her head.

"Maybe he's still sore about last night. He was really looking forward to getting that part in." Bulkhead suggested, picking up the remote and changing the channel to anything but kid's cartoons. Sari may like them, or some of them, but he could stand any of what was on early in the mornings.

"Maybe I should go talk to him about that, and apologize for laughing at him." Optimus said.

Bulkhead laughed, "Well, you know he's been asking for it. He's always teasing us or playing pranks. I think he's just getting what's coming to him."

"Maybe so, but we all should still apologize." Optimus said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, ok. I guess so."

"I'm not! I meant what I said, and I'm not sorry for it!" Ratchet announced as he came in, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Sari figured it was another day that he got up on the wrong side of the bed.

"Everyone is going to apologize, Ratchet. Now, I'm going to go get him." Optimus turned to go back down the hallway where Bumblebee's quarters were located, but stopped seeing Prowl, coming up the same hallway, carrying something in his servos.

"There will be no need for that." he said, "I was just there, and found this." The cyber-ninja handed Optimus Bumblebee's dry erase board, a message was scribbled on it. Optimus glanced over it, and then groaned.

"What was he thinking?" he asked. Prowl shrugged and shook his head.

"What? What does it say?" Sari asked. She jumped off the couch and came to stand at Prime's feet. Optimus looked back down at the message, and then read it aloud.

"'Guys, I'm leaving. You obviously don't care about me, so why stay? I'm striking out on my own, and won't come back unless I get some respect.'"

"What?"

"He didn't!"

"How could he?"

The room exploded; each bot and Sari expressing their disbelief and ruing Bumblebee's stupidity on the matter loudly and verbally. They knew he had been upset, but this wasn't something they thought Bumblebee would pull. What were they supposed to do? Just let him roam Detroit, or wherever he was now, alone? How would they find him anyway?

"Did he leave any clues to where he would be?" Optimus asked Prowl.

"None, after reading that, I looked around. Everything in his room is as messy as ever."

"We're going to go look for him, right, Prime?" Sari tapped Optimus' leg. "What if he got in trouble? We'd never know!"

Optimus nodded. "Yes, we're going to go look for him!"

"When I get my servos on him, I'm going to melt him down for spare parts myself!" Ratchet growled, pounding his fists together.

"Only after I finish with him!" Bulkhead butted in.

"We can think up punishments for him while we look." Prowl said. "I'm already thinking up a few of my own."

"Let's try contacting him first. See if he answers."

"He's mute, Prime. He won't answer!" the medic grumbled.

"It's worth a try. Maybe he'll come back once he realizes we're worried about him." Optimus said, switching his comm. to Bumblebee's frequency.

* * *

Chapter seven! Wow, I really didn't think this story would last so long. But hey, who am I to complain?

I really enjoy reviews, so, if you read this and like it, even a little, please leave one! The reviews boost my enthusiasm for the story. :)


	8. Trials

I am so sorry for the late update. It's been over a week, I know. And I blame Justice League Unlimited. I've been watching that show all week on Youtube. Who knew DC superheroes were actually good? I'm more of a Marval fan, so I always thought DC was super cheesy. Well, I'm beginning to change my mind. lol Anyway, enough of my rambling. On with the story!

* * *

Chapter Eight: Trials

"Intruder!"

Bumblebee threw up his hands in a futile attempt to block the burning blade from slicing his helm in two. But the blow never came. He slowly opened an optic to peak up at the brute Dinobot, and found him scratching his chin thoughtfully. He still held his sword above his head, still threatening to chop Bee with it.

"Hey, do me, Grimlock know you? Me think I've seen you before."

Bumblebee slowly began to lower his hands. He couldn't tell Grimlock when he had seen him before, so he just hoped that the dino would decide to leave him alive.

"Oh, yeah! You the puny yellow bot me Grimlock try to barbeque! What was it that other car robots call puny bot?" Grimlock looked to his silent companions, but they gave no answer, just puzzled looks.

"Was it Bubblehead? Blisterbell? Bopper? Bobby? Bumper? It was Bumper, right? No, Bumper don't sound right. You look like a Bumper though. Um, Blizzardboy? No, not it."

By this time, Grimlock had lowered his sword, and the flames extinguished much to Bumblebee's relief. The Dinobots didn't look like they wanted to destroy him anymore; they looked like they were too occupied with figuring out his name.

"Busterbelly? No, that stupid name. Not right." Still guessing different names, Grimlock shuffled off, followed closely by Swoop and Snarl. "I know it something! But what? Billy? Bonnie?"

Bumblebee watched as the Dinobots trampled off, disappearing into the trees, and leaving him all alone. Perhaps they didn't care so much about him anymore? Well, no matter what, he didn't want to run into them again. He turned around and started marching in the opposite direction. Coming into the woods and stumbling upon those crazy Dinobots had made him decide he was going to wait on the beach. That way, he could leave in a hurry on the raft if he had to. He felt somewhat insulted though since the Dinobots couldn't remember his name. Usually, he made sure everyone knew his name! And all those stupid suggestions Grimlock kept coming up with! Insulting!

* * *

It wasn't long-ok, it was a long time later-that Bumblebee finally admitted that he was lost. He had wandered for hours, and everything looked the same! No matter which way he went! He sat down, leaning his back against a tree, and tried to work out a plan to get him out of this mess. Looking up into the leaf-filled branches above his head, he felt sure he had seen this tree at least three times already.

_How does Prowl go into the wilderness and always come out without any trouble? All these trees look the same to me! And I know I've tripped over that root twice already!_ Bumblebee complained to himself. He was more sure than ever that he hated the wild. It was just too…wild!

Sitting there, with nothing to do and no closer to finding his way back, he began to slip into recharge. It would just be a short nap, he promised himself, but before he was finally lost to the world, he heard rustling over to his left. Perking up, he listened intently, and heard voices somewhere deeper in the trees. Maybe finding the Dinobots again was his best bet. Perhaps, if they didn't do that whole 'destroy intruders' thing again, he could ask them if they knew where his raft was. He was just about fed up with this island, and had decided to go somewhere _civilized_ to hide, even if it wouldn't be as good a hiding place as this.

So, he got to his feet, stumbled over the same root for a third time, and then trudged through the leaves and branches towards the sounds of the Dinobots. From what he could hear, they were in a discussion. Grimlock was the one doing all the talking anyway, but Bumblebee did hear cries and roars from the other two, he didn't know if they were in agreement or not though.

When he finally found them, they were all in dinosaur mode, and they all turned and stared at him when he broke out of the foliage. He waved awkwardly, and wished he could've said something like 'I've come in peace'.

"What you want, Bubba?" Grimlock asked, still staring at him with the same unreadable expression as the other two Dinobots.

_Ok, now what?_ He couldn't think of a way to explain he was lost. And even if he had brought his dry erase board, he doubted the Dinobots knew how to read. He stood there, and then shrugged his shoulders.

"What? Little yellow bot forgot how to speak?" Grimlock said teasingly.

Bumblebee nodded. How else would he explain it?

"Oh," Grimlock looked at his companions, and then back at Bumblebee. "Well, maybe this will cheer you up after forgetting how to talk. Stupid as that is."

Grimlock took a step forward, and Bumblebee in turn, took two steps back. "Dinobots no like intruders. Must kill all intruders. But if you no want to be killed, you have to be Dinobot."

_And what does that mean?_

"So, if you want to stay on Dinobot Island, we will let you be a Dinobot. What you say, yellow runt?"

Bumblebee put his hands on his hips and scowled at Grimlock. _Can't say anything. Remember?_ He thought to himself.

"Me, Grimlock know you can't say anything!" the T-Rex said, seemingly reading Bumblebee's mind, "But at least nod your head if you like the idea."

_I guess it's better than getting squashed._ Bumblebee nodded.

"Good!" Grimlock clapped. But then he got all serious again. "But you can't just become Dinobot like that. You must go through trials."

Bumblebee raised an optic ridge. _Trials?_

"To see if you worthy to be a Dinobot. See if you think like a Dinobot. It the only way you can stay on island. They will be hard, dangerous too!"

_Oh boy…._

"Come, we start first trial in a minute."

* * *

"The Test of Speed!" Grimlock shouted. Bumblebee looked around him. The Dinobots had taken him to the beach, and it wasn't the beach where he left his raft. But the beach was clear and looked like a perfect place for racing.

Bumblebee grinned confidently. _This Test of Speed will be a piece of cake!_

"Ok, Buzzy, let's see how fast you are."

Bumblebee didn't like the way Grimlock had said that. It was like he was scheming something. He looked over his shoulder and saw the three Dinobots crouching, ready to spring at him.

"You better be fast. If we catch you, we get to smash you!" Then without any further warning, Grimlock lunged at Bumblebee, barely missing him as the yellow bot leaped out of the way. Grimlock stood and spit out a mouthful of sand, then roared at Bumblebee as the other two Dinobots launched themselves at him.

Bumblebee figured they had changed their minds about letting him stay, so he took off down the beach, way in head of Grimlock and Snarl. He noticed that the two lumbering dinos weren't able to match his speed, so he grinned, and would have shouted out a snide remark if he could. But then he remembered that there were three Dinobots, the other being the pterodactyl. Where was he?

_Screeeeeeechhhhh!_

Before he could even look up towards the call, Swoop came diving in and rammed Bumblebee into the ground. He began to peck at Bee, making sure he was slowed down enough for the other two to catch up. Bumblebee didn't want that to happen, so he kept fighting to get out of Swoop's way. He slapped at the long beak, forcing it away from him, and then took off again, this time in vehicle mode. He was faster this way anyway, and the Dinobots didn't say he couldn't use it. But Swoop's attack had allowed the others to catch up, and they were hot on his tail, snapping and roaring. They were so close now, that Bumblebee could almost feel them snapping into his bumper.

Putting on an extra burst of speed, he began to pull away from the Dinobots, this time swerving as Swoop dived in again. This time, the flying Dinobot crashed with his beak in the ground.

Seeing that Bumblebee was escaping them, Snarl let a stream of fire erupt from his mouth, catching the back end of Bumblebee and setting it ablaze. Bumblebee yelped, but it came out silently. He swerved around, trying to stop the flames, but it wasn't working. He then splashed right into the waves washing up on the shore, the flames dissipating with a sizzle.

The Dinobots loped up to the edge of the water and stopped. Bumblebee stared back at them, waiting for anything to happen.

"We done. You gonna keep sitting there? You'll rust." Grimlock said, still staring at Bumblebee.

It took a while, but they finally coaxed Bee out of the water, and now on the beach, he transformed back to robot mode.

"Good job, Buster! You passed first trial!"

_Yay me._

"You now one step closer to being a Dinobot. Come. We got other test for you."

_Is this one also going to be life threatening?_ Bumblebee wondered to himself, cautiously following the Dinobots back into the woods.

* * *

Bumblebee was relieved when he found out the next trial was just a Test of Accuracy. Grimlock had the other two Dinobots set up targets, each a Frisbee or broken surfboard that had washed up on the island from the mainland. They all had a bull's-eye painted on them with purple berry juice.

Just looking at the targets and their distance from him, Bumblebee couldn't believe this was going to be any kind of challenge. The targets were so close that there was no way he could miss. Stepping up to the line drawn in the sand indicating where he was supposed to stand, Bumblebee waited for Grimlock's signal to begin firing.

"So, you ready?"

Bumblebee gave a thumbs up and then switched to his stingers, eager to begin.

"Ok, shoot!"

Bumblebee began firing at the targets, each blast making its mark, each target now sporting a hole in its center. There were only six targets, so it was only a matter of seconds before Bumblebee was finished, and switched his stingers back to his hands. He turned around to the Dinobots behind him, expecting to be congratulated, but instead, he saw three Dinobots that looked quite bored. Grimlock even yawned.

_What_?

"You think you done?" Grimlock asked. Bumblebee turned back around to see if he had missed anything. Nope, all the targets were hit, nothing else he could do. So he nodded.

Grimlock sighed and shook his head, disappointed.

Bumblebee spun around again. Clearly, there was something that he missed, but what? He didn't know, couldn't tell.

_Okay, Bee, think. What did I possibly do wrong? All the targets were hit! Dead on!_ Then Bumblebee remembered something Grimlock had told him before they began the tests: think like a Dinobot_. Okay, so, how do I think like a Dinobot? What would they do?_

Staring at the targets, thinking about all he knew of the Dinobots, which wasn't very much, he realized they didn't care much for perfect aim. It seemed all they thought about was destroying things. Bumblebee remembered his close call when he first came to the island, the Dinobots were going to kill him right then and there, he was sure of it. Then it hit him, maybe that's what they wanted then. They wanted Bee to destroy the targets, not just hit them!

Charging his stingers to the max, which still wasn't very strong because his stingers weren't battle grade after all, he aimed for the bases of the targets, knocking them over, and then blasting them with his charged shots, breaking them to pieces. Even if this wasn't what the Dinobots wanted, he was pretty proud of himself as pieces of plastic and wood littered the ground. He changed the stingers back to his hands, and stood there admiring his handiwork. _Ha! Nothing left. And that was actually kind of fun._

He turned around when he heard clapping. Grimlock congratulated him, "That's how us Dinobots do it. Good job."

_Of course I did a good job. It comes with being awesome._

"Next trial starts when sun goes down. Be back here then. Me and other Dinobots have to set up things. No peaking!"

Bumblebee nodded. _Right, no peaking. But it doesn't matter; I'll get through it no problem!_

Since it was going to be a few hours until sundown, Bumblebee decided to wait for the Dinobots on top of the mountain surrounding the center of the island. As he sat down on a boulder, waiting for the sun to dip behind the horizon, he started getting calls from the other Autobots again. They had tried to reach him earlier in the day, and were now at it again. Some sounded worried, others sounded mad at him. He couldn't answer, so he decided to shut off his communicator instead of listening to the calls. How long had they been looking for him? Well, he knew they wouldn't come here. Once he felt like they were ready to treat him with some respect, he would go back. Things weren't so bad here, the Dinobots were all right once you got used to them. And they seemed to like him; they didn't tease him because of his problem. Probably because both Swoop and Snarl couldn't speak either. They were used to it, and at least Grimlock seemed to understand them even if they couldn't express themselves verbally. Grimlock even understood Bee to an extent, too bad he couldn't get him to remember his name though.

* * *

"It's getting late. I think it's about time to call it a night." Optimus said as he made yet another turn onto a street in his search area. Sari was sitting in the passenger seat, and she shook her head, disagreeing with him for yet another time that evening.

"Night time is when crooks start to come out, we can't leave Bee out there all alone with no way to call us!" she argued.

"I'm pretty sure Bumblebee can handle himself against any human threat here."

"But what about non-human threats? The Decepticons attacked him late at night before. That's how we got into this mess. What if they do it again?"

That was something Optimus had thought of. He didn't like the thought of leaving a mute Bumblebee out here to fend for himself if Decepticons were about, but there was nothing they could do about it. If Bumblebee didn't want to be found, they probably wouldn't find him, at least not right away.

"Autobots: report." Optimus ordered through the radio.

Bulkhead was the first to answer: "I can't find anything. I've gone to all of Bee's favorite places; nothing."

"Nothing here either, Prime." Came Ratchet's voice through the radio.

"Same here." said Prowl.

"Right then." Optimus answered. "I think it's time head back to the base. We can start again tomorrow."

"No! We have to find him!"

"We will, Sari." Optimus promised. "But it'll be harder to find him once it gets dark. We could overlook him easily or miss a clue to his whereabouts."

Sari crossed her arms in defeat and frowned.

"But as soon as it's light again, we'll continue searching. I'll even check to see if Captain Fanzone has any leads. All right?"

"Fine. I'm still not happy about it."

"I know." Optimus turned around, and started back for HQ. "All right, Autobots, return to base."

* * *

And, yes, that chapter was a bit longer. Two pages longer in fact. I thought that since I was so late with the update you deserved it. ^o^

So, as always, if you enjoyed, please review! It makes my day to get them. ^^


	9. Initiation

Sorry for the long wait again. Two weeks is way to long to be waiting on this, but it's my fault for not actually starting on it until earlier this week.

* * *

Chapter Nine: Initiation

As soon as the sun set and the stars started to shine, Bumblebee left his perch on the mountain, and made his way to the afore said meeting place. He was careful before when he first made his way along this path to place marks often, so he could easily find his way back. Many of these trail marks were just piles of stones, something he learned from watching a movie where the characters went camping. They had gotten lost of course, and that was because some strange monsters attacked their camp. He was going to make sure nothing like that was going to happen to him. Of course, the Dinobots did kind of count as monsters in a sense, and they had already tried killing him. And then he got lost. Wow, movies were always right.

Coming up to the indicated meeting place, he crossed his arms and waited for the Dinobots to show. What were they up to? Grimlock had said something about setting up for the next trial. But what did they have to set up that took almost all day? And why did he have to take the test after dark?

He looked around him, it was so dark the trees cast shadows dark as ink, and the full moon above him cast shadows along the ground as clouds passed by in front of it, the cool breeze pushing them along. It was all rather creepy, Bumblebee thought. He heard trees rustle, small, nocturnal animals scurry by in the undergrowth, and giant stomping somewhere in the unseen.

_Giant stomping? _Bumblebee swiveled his head around as the source of the crashing lumbered up through the trees on his right. Grimlock was leading his two companions, and Swoop flew overhead and dropped something on the ground next to Bee.

"Glad you finally made it." Grimlock said, stopping in front of the small Autobot.

_Glad _I_ finally made it? You're the ones that are late._ Bumblebee rolled his optics.

"This test will be hardest of them all." Grimlock began his introduction, "If you cannot pass this test, you will not be welcome here no more." Grimlock warned Bumblebee, leaning in closer for effect. "This is the Test of Bravery! You have to travel all alone from here," then Grimlock pointed east, "to the cliff rocks on other side of jungle, over them, to the beach. You take Mr. Coconut there," he pointed down to the thing Swoop had dropped next to Bumblebee.

Bee picked it up and examined it. It had a crooked face scratched into it, grinning like a crazed maniac. It was creepy, and yet somewhat cute, in an odd way.

"Mr. Coconut has lost his family. There's Mrs. Coconut, Papa Coconut, Mama Coconut, and Baby Coconut."

Bumblebee scrunched his face up and then directed the look to Grimlock. _Are you serious about this?_

The Dinobot ignored the look though, and kept on with his explanation, "They are hidden in the jungle, and you must find them. All of the coconut family must make it to the beach to Beach Ball Buddy, where they be safe. When you get there, trial will be over."

_You want me to look for coconuts? On a tropical island? There's hundreds of coconuts!_ Bumblebee looked back up at Grimlock.

"The coconut family are prisoners, and there are traps everywhere! It will be hard and scary! Only the bravest make it through alive."

Bumblebee looked into the black forest. It did look scary from here; all the branches looked like clawed hands reaching down from overhead. What had the Dinobots added into the forest to make it dangerous?

"We will be watching you. So no cheating, and watch your back." Grimlock turned Bumblebee eastward and then pushed him slightly to get him started. "Go already! Clouds mean gonna rain soon. You don't want to get caught in sky-water do you?"

Bumblebee shook his head, and then stepped from the clearing into the canopy of trees. If it did start to rain, perhaps the leaf-filled branches would keep most of it away from him.

His path was not obvious, all he knew was to head east and hope the coconuts were along that path to whatever the Beach Ball Buddy was. Gaps in the foliage allowed moonlight to filter down to the ground, illuminating parts of the path he chose. Still, there were many roots, stumps, and rocks unseen, which he tripped over as he began his march.

Grimlock waited until he could no longer hear the small Autobot's footsteps before turning to Swoop and Snarl. "Ok," he said, "let's get to places."

* * *

Bumblebee had only been walking for a few minutes, and already he had seen a couple of coconuts. But he figured that the Dinobots had scratched faces into the coconuts he was looking for. Those few coconuts he had found didn't have any faces on them, so he left them where they rested on the ground. He continued on, keeping his eyes peeled for the correct items.

He finally found the first coconut not too long after. It was sitting up in a tree branch, quite obviously so. The branch was one that hung out over the path Bumblebee had chose, and it was sitting amongst the leaves, and had a giant flower stuck over its face. The eyes had eyelashes and the lips definitely looked like they had lipstick, which was smeared berry juice. Mrs. Coconut?

Bumblebee smiled at his luck, reached up into the branch, and grasped the coconut 'trapped' up there. He only pulled it down partially before it snagged on something. He knew a round coconut couldn't snag on anything, and that's when he noticed it was tied to the tree by a vine. Rolling his eyes, he just yanked on the vine harder, and it snapped from the branch. As quickly as the vine broke, something pounced down from the tree into Bumblebee's face. Something big, and with eight, long legs.

_Giant spider!_ Bumblebee tried to scream, and he bounced back from the huge arachnid, arms flying up in a defensive position. Now getting a second glance, Bee noticed that it was just a bunch of tree branches tied together to resemble a spider. And then getting a third look at it, he saw it was a pretty poor imitation at that. How was that scary? That was just like an amateur prank.

Pulling the spider down from the tree and casting it aside, Bumblebee continued on to find three more of the silly coconuts.

This wasn't too hard a job either. Bumblebee found the next coconut only a few yards away, in a clearing behind a wall of trees. It was just sitting there, quite peacefully looking, in the center of the small, open area. Bumblebee looked around, just to make sure there weren't any other fake spiders that could jump out, and approached the lone coconut. While examining it closely, to make sure it wasn't attached to any sort of booby trap, he carefully picked it up. Nothing happened, so he began to think that it was just a normal coconut lying on the ground. He flipped it over to make sure it had a face carved on it. He did find a face, and he guessed it was supposed to be Papa Coconut. It had the grumpiest, meanest, no nonsense kind of face he had ever seen since Ratchet. In fact, it rather looked like the medic, the way he looked at Bee when he did something hotheaded or stupid.

_Sheesh, Doc-bot's not even here, and I find him mad at me._

Placing the coconut Ratchet-lookalike with the others in his other arm, Bumblebee then looked around to decide which way to go. That was when he heard a low growl coming somewhere from the trees on his right. He shot his head in that direction to see what was out there, but heard a snarl come from his left. He took a glance in that way too, and saw bushes start to rustle. On his right, the tree branches started to shake, against the breeze. The ground began to tremble as a low growl rumbled out, and whatever was behind the vegetation began to circle the tiny clearing and the small Autobot in its center.

_It's the Dinobots. Has to be. What are they doing? Why circle me?_ Bumblebee wondered as he kept his optics darting back and forth between the sources of the commotion. He started to see shadows and even a glimpse of grey metal between the leaves, and realized the Dinobots were closing in the circle. He was sure of that when Grimlock first broke cover from the trees, followed by Snarl on the opposite side, as they kept on with the circling. The Dinobots' gazes never left Bumblebee, and he began to feel much like the prey caught in a predator's trap on one of those wildlife shows on TV.

_I thought this was a test guys. You're breaking my concentration. Why are you looking at me that way?_

Grimlock suddenly roared and charged for Bumblebee, behind him, Snarl did the same. Bumblebee's mouth opened and tried to release a scream when he realized he was about to become dino kill. He couldn't think, but he was able to jump up as the two Dinobots crashed together and fell back down on top of them. Not wasting any time, which he was sure he didn't have much more of, he scrambled up and dashed away, hoping the trees would give him some cover so he could escape the crazed Dinos. But his hope was soon crushed as Grimlock and Snarl got to their feet and took chase, trampling trees and other forms of plant life in their frenzy to get the yellow Autobot.

Ducking under branches and jumping over logs, he jostled the coconuts in his arms just a bit too much, and one fell to the ground behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see Mrs. Coconut come to a stop against a log, directly in the path of the two rampaging Dinobots. He looked back at the way before him. If he could just keep running, maybe he could make it to the beach and find his raft. But then, once he did find it, could he get it out to sea before one of the Dinobots caught him? He didn't see Swoop around anywhere, but he was sure he'd come in a second if Bumblebee tried to escape. He looked back at the fallen coconut, and then at the Dinobots, coming closer and closer. Should he risk it?

_Aw, I can't _believe_ I'm about to do this!_ Performing a perfect about-face at full speed, Bumblebee charged back to his coconut goal, directly in the direction of the Dinobots. If he could scoop up Mrs. Coconut and then dive off to one side, he may yet escape this alive. But then, if he didn't, he'd be a mess of yellow scrap once the Dinobots finished stomping on him. Shifting the remaining coconuts to his left arm, be lowered his right so when he sped by it would scoop up the one on the ground and he could keep running without slowing his speed. Taking one last look at the Dinobots who were ridiculously close, he executed his plan perfectly, grabbing up the coconut and plunging into the undergrowth on the left. He didn't stop to see what would happen to the Dinobots, but kept running, thinking only of how he had to save his own chassis now.

When Bumblebee had turned around unexpectedly, scooped up the coconut, and disappeared, Grimlock and Snarl tried to stop and go after him, but they were so large, and didn't have the smaller bot's speed and maneuverability, that they tripped over each other and landed in a heap on the ground. Grimlock fought to stand back up, and looked in the direction Bumblebee had fled. A small smile spread across his face.

* * *

He had escaped the raging Dinobots, but now, he was completely lost. Bumblebee had no idea if this was the right way to go, or if he'd ever find those last two coconuts. In his mind, he was grumbling to himself. He picked up Mrs. Coconut, held it in front of his face, and glared at it. The flower fell off sometime during that run, but the coconut wasn't any worse for wear. But Bumblebee still couldn't believe he had risked his own spark to save a worthless coconut!

_What was I thinking?_ He lectured himself, still glaring daggers at the coconut that caused the problems. _You are a coconut! Something that grows on trees and then falls down. That's your lot in life. Why did I just get myself almost killed to save you, huh? I should've kept running. Forget all about Mrs. Coconut here! Let her get crushed by big, fat, dino feet!_ Bumblebee stopped his angered march through the forest, dimmed his optics, and then looked back down at the coconut in his hand.

_What am I doing? I'm talking to a coconut! A coconut! Man, I'm going crazy. Losing my mind. Thank you, Mrs. Coconut. I hope you're happy._ Bumblebee shot a despairing glance at the overcast sky above once he realized he had gone back to talking to the coconut as if it was a living being. _Why do coconuts always cause so much trouble?_

Placing Mrs. Coconut back with the other two, he continued trudging on, disillusioned and completely homesick.

_You know, Bee, if you had stayed put and not gone off, this wouldn't be happening to you. You wouldn't have crazed, bot-eating Dinobots chasing you, making you go through nonsense 'trials', and you wouldn't be getting yourself killed for a bunch of stupid coconuts!_ Bumblebee shot a glare at the said coconuts in his hands. _You would be safe, in your berth right now, having a swell recharge! And guess what? Even though your so-called friends would tease you, they wouldn't be trying to kill you! Why in the world did I think running away was a good idea? This was stupid, stupid, stupid! If I can get out of this alive, I am never, ever running away again. I'm never even going to step stabilizing servo outside again! _

Suddenly, Bumblebee tripped over another root, hidden by the dark shadows around him. He climbed back up to his feet and started to gather up his coconut family.

_I wanna go home._

But he kept walking on, thinking the same thoughts over and over with each step, that he almost missed a strange sound coming from the other side of the trees ahead of him. Slowing down and treading carefully, he went to investigate. Peaking through the branches, he saw Swoop, asleep and snoring on a low branch in a large tree. In his arms, he cuddled a coconut with a face carved into it.

_Oh great._ Bumblebee could almost cry. _Now I have to get it away from him. This day can't possibly get any worse. So many bad things have happened to me today that bad luck _has_ to be feeling sorry for me by now._

Sitting the coconuts down in a safe place under a tree, Bumblebee gathered all his courage and tiptoed over to the sleeping pterodactyl and his captive coconut. He once again questioned his sanity as he stretched as far as he could to get his hands on the coconut.

_Come here. Why'd Swoop have to fall asleep in such a tall tree?_ He asked himself as he stretched higher. Just as his fingers grazed the coconut, he lost his balance and fell. Trying to stop himself, his arms flew out instinctively to try to latch onto anything to stop the fall. What his flailing arms managed to hit accidentally was sleeping Swoop. Both Bumblebee and the flying Dinobot fell to the ground in a heap. The coconut rolled from them a little ways.

Bumblebee and Swoop glanced at each other, both still a little startled, and then scrambled to be the first one up and to the coconut. Bumblebee won that match by knocking Swoop's face down on the ground. He scooped up the coconut, and would have pointed and laughed at the Dinobot if he could. He turned around and was shocked to find Swoop ramming into him, causing the coconut to fly from his grasp. Swoop, using his ability to fly, snatched it in midair and began to climb higher.

_Oh, no you don't._ Bumblebee jumped up and grabbed Swoop's clawed feet. Swoop screeched at the sudden extra weight he was carrying and then snapped at Bee underneath him. Bee was working hard to pry the claws away from the coconut and ignored Swoop's screeching. Getting the coconut free, Bumblebee let go and dropped to the ground. He made to run off, but Swoop dived in and crashed into the Autobot and wrestled him to the ground. Swoop however, was at a disadvantage, since his strength was in the sky. His wings flapped around awkwardly as he tried to fend off Bumblebee's punches. Bumblebee knew he was the better fighter on land and soon had Swoop taking off in retreat.

The pterodactyl transformer flew up higher in the air and began circling and calling out loudly. _A signal? Not good. _

Bumblebee made a mad dash to where he left the other coconuts and scooped them all up in his arms. Now carrying four coconuts and needing only one more, he took a glance behind him as he ran, and saw the trees in the distance shake and tremble. The other Dinobots had found him again.

_Last coconut where are you? Baby Coconut?_ Bumblebee kept searching all around him for the last missing coconut family member, as the Dinobots stomped and roared after him. This was really a bad day.

On his left, he spotted a strange glow. It wasn't the sunrise. He knew that because it had only been a few mega cycles since he began this crazy trial. He decided to run that way to see what it was. If it was nothing, he would keep running from the Dinobots behind him.

What he found was one of the oddest things he had seen since arriving on Dinobot Island. It was a large pit, filled with flame. On either side of the pit were two poles, and a third was placed on top of them horizontally, making an archway. Tied to the horizontal pole was a vine, also on fire, and at the end of that was tied a small coconut, with a crying face carved on it. The fire was climbing down the vine, making its way to the small coconut, which was apparently Baby Coconut.

In the dark, the flames made the shadows dance, and they played across the coconut's face, making it seem like it was moving and crying. Bumblebee could almost hear the baby coconut crying out for his mama. Actually, that sounded more real than his imagination. He looked around to see if there was anything else nearby, because he knew surely that it was not that coconut making that noise. He noticed the three coconuts in his arms; each face was turned in the direction of the fire pit and the little coconut in peril. Each face now seemed different in the firelight. They seemed scared?

_Oh, no! No way am I really seeing this. No way am I about to risk getting burned for a coconut. I'm already risking a stampede!_

He looked back at the coconut hanging dangerously over the fire, and then back at the others in his hands. _Well, I do need all the coconuts. If I get them all, maybe those psycho dinos will stop chasing me!_

Switching all the coconuts into one arm like he had done when he saved Mrs. Coconut from the Dinobots, he dashed for the fire pit, readying himself for a jump.

_I'll save yoooouuuu, Baby Coconut!_

In mid-air, he snatched the coconut from the burning vine, and flew over the fire below him. He landed with a thud on the other side, sliding a few feet before coming to a stop. Shaking the dizziness away from hitting his head, he looked back the way he came.

_I did it! _His grin was huge on his face as he stood back up. But there was no time to relax, for Swoop came over the trees into view and the two ground Dinobots crashed through the trees. The only thing between him and the bots wanting to kill him was the fire pit. But Bumblebee knew that wouldn't stop them. It was easy to run around or fly over. And that's just what the Dinobots proceeded to do. Turning around as fast as he could, he kept running. The path was now starting to go uphill, so he hoped he made it to the cliffs surrounding the inner part of the island.

Running now with the hope that he was near the beach and the Beach Ball Buddy he had to get the coconuts to, Bumblebee climbed the cliff walls. They weren't that steep in this particular spot, so he didn't have to use his arms to help him climb. That would have been hard, trying to climb and hold five coconuts at the same time.

He made it to the top, and paused long enough to look down at the beach in front of him, and then to the Dinobots behind him. They had made better time climbing than he had, and were closing in the gap between them. Jumping from his place on the cliff, he slid down to the sandy beach below him. Looking right and left, down both ways of the beach, he tried to identify whatever was Beach Ball Buddy. To his right was a rocky outcropping; to his left were miles of empty beach. So he turned to his right and ran that way, just as the Dinobots began their sliding decent down the cliff behind him.

Beach Ball Buddy had to be around here somewhere. There was nothing the other way, so this was his best bet. But, what if he had come out on the opposite side of the island, and the Beach Ball Buddy was a long way away? He'd have to run all night from those maniacal Dinosaur robots! That wasn't a welcome thought at all.

As he made it to the rocks, he jumped over a few, and then came face to face with a white, blue, red, and yellow ball resting atop a flat rock. Painted on it was a face of purple berry juice.

_Beach Ball Buddy, I'm so glad to see you! Save the coconut family! The Dinobots are coming!_ Bumblebee dropped the five coconuts on the flat rock in front of the beach ball, and then spun around when he heard the snarling from his pursuers. But instead of the Dinobots ripping him to shreds, they stopped their charge and completely calmed down.

"Yellow bot got the coconuts to Beach Ball Buddy safely. Good job. You not scream once when we attack you. You very brave. All Dinobots must be brave!"

Bumblebee slumped to the ground_. That was the scariest thing that has ever happened-no wait, being attacked by Decepticons is scarier._ He looked back at the Dinobots and remembered the life or death chase that just happened. _Well, it's at least equal to being attacked by Decepticons._

"You only have one more trial, Binky."

_One more? No, please no!_

"It is the Test of Strength! In this trial, you must fight me, Grimlock! There are rules you must follow though. You must stand your ground. No running away from fight, cause Dinobots never run from fight. If you do run, we catch you, and then we destroy coward!" Grimlock growled in Bumblebee's face, causing the yellow Autobot to finch back in fear. "We start now." Grimlock announced.

Grimlock transformed into his towering robot mode. He grabbed Bumblebee with one hand and carried him with ease to a clear spot on the beach. He release Bumblebee's arm, and he fell to the ground with a loud ca-thud!

_You want me to fight you? This isn't fair. I don't stand a chance!_ Bumblebee complained as he stood up, wiping sand off his rear.

"Get ready to fight!" The Dinobot roared at the smaller bot, and then lifted his sword above his head, igniting the flame around it. Bumblebee, stuck in place because of the rule Grimlock set up, and because he was so scared for his life at that moment, threw his arms above his head as his only defense against his impending doom. Grimlock swung his sword in a downward arc, roaring the entire time, straight for Bumblebee's head.

_Noooo!_ Bumblebee closed his eyes and waited for his demise. He went through all of the trials, only to be killed now. It wasn't how he wanted to go out, but there was nothing else he could do!

Grimlock stopped his sword swing just above his head, and instead swatted Bumblebee aside with his humongous arm. Bumblebee went flying through the air and landed in the sand next to the outcropping. He opened his eyes after the unexpected landing, and shook his head. This place still looked like Dinobot Island, not the Well of All Sparks. Perhaps he was still alive.

Grimlock stomped over, his sword gone, and a huge grin plastered on his face. He picked Bumblebee up by his foot and loped back over to where the other Dinobots stood. On the way, Grimlock explained:

"You passed last test. Good thing you fail, if you had been stronger than me, Grimlock, we would have had to destroy you!" Grimlock deposited Bumblebee unceremoniously on the ground in front of Swoop and Snarl. "I strongest Dinobot, so that make me King!"

Bumblebee shakily sat up, and craned his neck to look way up at the towering Dinobot standing in front of him. He had passed? That was odd. He wasn't even able to defend himself. _I guess to Dinobots, it makes sense. _He thought.

"From moment on now, you are a Dinobot! You now need Dinobot name." Grimlock paused briefly to think. "You will be called Sting!"

Bumblebee collapsed on the ground and dimmed his optics. _Oh, joy._

* * *

So, how many liked Bumblebee's initiation into the Dinobot team, huh? Leave a review and let me know!


	10. Escape

Once again, sorry for the slow update. I'm just ready to move on from this story and am having a hard time getting myself to sit down and finish it.

Anyway, on a positive note, this story is now as long as my first TF fanfic, and it's gotten a lot more response. So, yay! I mist have done something right for this one.

* * *

Chapter Ten: Escape

The next morning broke overcast and with a light rain. Mist rose from the lake and covered the land about it in a cool, damp blanket. The roads were wet and the people walking along the sides of them hurried along to their jobs to get in out of the drizzle. The rain didn't stop the amount of traffic though; the drivers of the cars went along their usual routes, not bothered by the weather until they had to exit their vehicles once they reached their destinations.

Four vehicles, which drove around Detroit, however, didn't have destinations, but were scanning the area in regular sweeps, and even sometimes stopping to check out something they thought would give them a clue. They were the Autobots, out since the break of dawn, now all wet, and still no closer to finding their lost comrade, Bumblebee.

Once again, Sari was with Optimus, adding her eyes to the search team's optics, but still coming no closer to finding the elusive Autobot. They had covered the entirety of Detroit, and there was no sign. Not even a small one. Every single one of the searchers were frustrated with Bumblebee's disappearance, some even threatening to melt him down for spare parts once he was found, but not really meaning it, because deep down in all of them, they were very worried about him. It wasn't like Bee to disappear for that long and not be heard from, even if the poor bot was mute. He hadn't let that stop him before.

Optimus pulled under the shelter of a parking deck, and allowed Sari to get out of his cab so she could stretch out the kinks after sitting for so many hours. He transformed as Sari made her way to a drink machine with a bill in her hand. As she put the money in the machine and picked what soda she wanted, Optimus called in the other Autobots, who were searching not too far away.

"Autobots, come to my location. We need to discuss some things."

Sari opened her can of Dr. Pepper. "Why are you calling the others in, Prime?" she asked.

"Because I think it's time we faced facts." he responded, crossing his arms and leaning against one of the support beams, waiting for the rest of his team.

As the other Transformers arrived, the passing Detroit citizens, though they didn't stop, stared at the congregating Autobots as they made their ways from their parked cars and to their places of business. Once everybot had convened, Optimus decided to voice his opinions.

"All right," he began, "we searched this city all yesterday, and now for hours today. I think it's safe to assume that Bumblebee isn't hiding anywhere in Detroit."

Nods and murmurs of agreement met his statement, as the others admitted that they had also been thinking the very same thing.

"But where else could he be?" Sari asked, being the only one who wasn't completely convinced of the fact.

"I can only think of two possibilities: either he's hiding somewhere in the country, or he ran into Decepticon trouble."

"You don't think that could have happened to him, do you?" Bulkhead asked, plain that he didn't want to consider that possibility.

"I don't know. I'm not giving up hope yet. So until we can prove that the Decepticons do have him, I'm going to remain believing he's still hiding out there. Which is why I've come up with a plan that will hopefully have him coming back to_ us_."

"What's that?" Sari asked eagerly.

Optimus switched his communicator to Bumblebee's frequency and then began to speak:

"Bumblebee, this is Optimus." he spoke with an authoritative tone, which commanded attention. "Your new voice synthesizer just arrived. Now if you can hear me, get back to the base this instant, and stop with this nonsense so Ratchet can repair you. Prime out."

"But the part hasn't arrived yet." Ratchet pointed out.

"I'm tired of, as the humans say, trying to find a needle in a haystack. If we can't find Bumblebee, the only thing is to get him to come to us."

"And he certainly won't stay away once he hears he can get his voice back." Sari grinned, understanding Prime's plan.

"And," Optimus said with hint of seriousness in his voice, "if he doesn't come back, we'll know if something has happened to him." The something he was referring to, as the others knew very well, was the Decepticons.

* * *

Bumblebee shot up from the spot on the cave floor where he had been trying to get some recharge after last night's tests. The other Dinobots were in the cave as well, keeping dry since the rain began to fall at some point during the night. The rain was more of a light drizzle now, but still all three of the Dinobots were sprawled out on the cave floor, snoring up a storm of their own.

But the tremendous racket the Dinobots were putting on wasn't what caused Bumblebee to sit up suddenly; it was the voice of Optimus over the communicator, telling him his voice synthesizer had arrived at last and he should get back quickly!

But then he remembered he was still on Dinobot Island, as Grimlock seemed to make a point to remind him when he rolled over in his sleep, nearly crashing his tail on Bumblebee. The small bot was able to scramble out of the way before the heavy, metal tail smashed him fortunately. Dodging restless Dinos was something Bee was getting rather good at, since it's what he had to do almost every second of that night. If it wasn't one of them, it was another. None of the Dinobots stayed still at the same time! It was like they had to try to smash something even when they were dead asleep. If it hadn't been raining and muddy outside the cave, he would have tried to recharge somewhere out there. But seeing now that the rain was very light, he decided it was time to try to make his escape, while the other Dinobots were still sleeping.

Tiptoeing out, he made his way to the closest section of beach. His only way off was his raft, and he didn't have much of an idea to where that was. Why did beaches all have to look the same? Anyway, he had to start his search somewhere. He knew where the rocky part of the beach was, where the Beach Ball Buddy and the Coconut family were still located, and he knew that the raft wasn't anywhere nearby. So, he decided to try on the opposite side on the rocky stretch beach, and hope that he'd some across it.

* * *

The rain had stopped and the clouds were starting to break apart when he finally caught sight of his raft in the distance. He jumped for joy and made a mad dash to the raft, which was thankfully moored high enough that the tide hadn't washed it away.

He pushed it into the waves, all the while thinking of what waited for him once he got back to civilization and the plant: his voice! He never thought in all his life he'd be so desperate for anything, and didn't realize just how much he'd miss something so many people and bots took for granted, he included.

Once the raft was out far enough, he jumped aboard and grabbed the oar, ready to paddle home. But he didn't get very far before he heard stomping coming from behind, back on the shore. He looked over his shoulder and saw the Dinobots run up the beach and stop short at the water line. He didn't know how to explain what he was doing, so he just waved goodbye to the Dinobots. To his surprise, or not so much to his surprise, since he had been with them for as long as he had, they waved back.

_I guess they're letting me go._ He thought, but he thought too soon. Grimlock stopped his waving, realizing just what the yellow bot was doing, and shouted out to him at the top of his voice.

"Sting! Where you go? Get back here!"

Bumblebee-or Sting-shook his head and began to paddle faster. He was going to get away from this crazy island if it was the last thing he did! He heard Grimlock mumble something back on the island, but he was too far away to make out anything unless it was shouted at him. What he did make out clearly though, was Swoop's pterodactyl cry, and then a whoosh and a beat of metallic wings above.

He swiveled his head around and watched as Swoop dove towards him, his claws extended, ready to grab. He tried to paddle his craft faster, but he didn't have the speed on water that he had on land, and Swoop caught up with him, plucked him off the raft, and carried him back to the beach.

He plopped him at Grimlock's feet. Bumblebee lifted himself up on his hands and knees and looked up at the towering Dinobot; there was an aggravated scowl on his dinosaurian features.

"Maybe me Grimlock, not make self clear," he said to Bumblebee, "you Dinobot now, Sting. That mean, you stay with Dinobots, on Dinobot Island. That why it called Dinobot Island!" Grimlock shook a clawed finger in Bee's face as he lectured, enunciating each word with a wave of the finger. "If you no listen, me Grimlock have to punish Sting. You want me to punish you?"

Bumblebee shook his head. He figured that what the Dinobots considered punishment was probably something he didn't want to experience. Bumblebee looked back out to where his raft was. The waves were pushing it back in closer to the island; maybe he could wait until the Dinobots left him and try to leave again. If that didn't happen, he opened up his comm. channel to the only bot he knew could help him now.

Grimlock growled quietly. "I know that look, Sting." He warned when he noticed Bumblebee glance over to the raft. "Swoop, Snarl, smash floaty boat. He thinking about escaping again!"

_What? No don't do it, Snarl! _Bumblebee tried to cry out as the triceratops transformed into robot mode and waited as Swoop brought the raft to shore. Snarl then used his gigantic club to pound the raft thoroughly into splinters, crashing down upon it numerous times until it was unrecognizable as anything. He stomped back to Grimlock's side after completing the deed and transformed back to the triceratops. He then stood patiently, waiting to see if Grimlock had any other orders.

"He try to leave Dinobots! What we do to keep him from trying again?"

Snarl tilted his head and looked thoughtful for a few moments, then turned to Bumblebee who was still in the sand, fretting over his newly destroyed raft. The Dinobot stomped over to the smaller, yellow bot and then turned his back on him, and then sat down right on top of Bee. Bumblebee's face smashed into the sand as all the weight of the Dinobot crashed on him.

"Hmm." Grimlock nodded. "That good idea, Snarl."

* * *

Back at the Autobot base, the others were in the main room, having just arrived to wait for Bumblebee to show. Sari and Bulkhead already had the TV on, trying to find something to watch while they waited. Who knew how long it would take the missing bot to return. Ratchet was in his med bay, and Optimus was watching the monitors, waiting for Bumblebee's signal to come into range.

Prowl was walking by, on his way to his room, when he suddenly stopped and placed his servo on the side of him helm.

"What's up, Prowl?" Sari asked, noticing Prowl. He seemed to be concentrating on something she couldn't indentify.

"I'm receiving a transmission from Bumblebee's communicator." the ninja-bot replied, still listening.

"What? But Bee can't talk. How are you getting something?" Bulkhead asked, coming to stand next to Prowl.

"I know he can't speak, but there is a voice. But it's muffled, like there's someone speaking near Bumblebee." Suddenly, recognition hit Prowl. He knew who the other voice was.

"It's Grimlock!" he announced.

"Grimlock?" both Sari and Bulkhead repeated. "How is that possible?" Sari asked.

"Easy. Bumblebee has been on Dinobot Island this entire time, and he's letting us know by the only way he can."

"And how did he get there?" Bulkhead asked, scratching his head. "Oh never mind. Who knows how he get's into the things he does." he said, shaking his head. "We need to tell Boss Bot and then go get him."

Prowl nodded his agreement.

* * *

Ok, as always, I love it when I get reviews from you readers. You are all so awesome! XD


	11. Rescue

Yay! Chapter eleven! Can't believe I've made it this far. Please enjoy, since I left you all at a bit of a cliff hanger in the last chapter. ;)

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Rescue

Once Prowl told Optimus what had happened, the Prime sent the ninja-bot and Bulkhead to Dinobot Island to get Bumblebee. Whatever it was that Bumblebee had thought when he went there probably got him into some trouble by now, and Prime knew that the Dinobots at least trusted Prowl enough that he could possibly reason with them if worse came to worse.

But of course, they hoped worse wouldn't come to worse, but with the luck they seemed to have, one could never know.

Arriving at the docks, they commandeered a ferry, after explaining to the captain their situation, and started on their way to the Dinobots' island. With the motor on the ferry, they were able to make it there in a short amount of time, definitely a lot faster than Bumblebee had made the trip with his raft.

The ferry docked at the pier, and Prowl and Bulkhead went ashore. Once they set foot on the warm sand on the beach, they listened for the expected noises of three territorial Dinobots. Nothing.

Prowl pointed toward the trees in front of them. "Let's head into the jungle. Perhaps they don't know we're here."

"Right," Bulkhead agreed, starting after Prowl as they made their way into the foliage, hoping to find Bumblebee or the Dinobots. It was surprising how quiet everything was. Every time they saw the Dinobots before, they had let a roar or a growl escape at random times. Maybe they were on the opposite side of the island. Possibly.

Traversing through the jungle was easy, in Prowl's opinion. He moved gracefully and surely over fallen trees, protruding roots, and other undergrowth. He was silent, never making a wrong step.

Bulkhead, on the other hand, walked through like a wrecking ball. He tried to mimic Prowl's deft step, but failed at it miserably. With all the racket he was making, stepping on crackling leaves, snapping branches on the trees around him, and shouting out in surprise when he tripped, it was a wonder the Dinobots hadn't zoned in on the chaos. But as they came out to a clearing with a picturesque lake situated in the center, they found one of the bots they were looking for.

Grimlock, in robot mode, stood near the lake, staring into it. When he heard the leaves rustle as Prowl and Bulkhead came out from the tree cover, he turned around and stomped over to them and with his hands on his hips, glared threateningly.

"What Motorcycle-bot and Big, Round-bot doing here? Island for Dinobots only!" he said.

Bulkhead scowled at the nickname, and looked at himself. He wasn't round.

"Yes, we know, Grimlock," Prowl raising his hands in a non-threatening manner, "but we need to know if you've seen one of our Autobot friends. Goes by the name Bumblebee."

"Bumblebee?" Grimlock perked up, as if remembering something. "He small?"

"Yes,"

"Yellow?"

"Yes,"

"Not know how to talk?"

"Yes! That's him!" said Bulkhead. "Where is he?"

"Me, Grimlock, not see him." he said quickly, and went right into acting as nonchalant as possible. Maybe _too_ nonchalant. He glanced around the area, not looking at anything in particular, but avoiding the two Autobots' skeptical looks. Just to prove he wasn't up to anything, he crossed his arms and started tapping his foot, "Doo dee doo dum doo…."

Prowl and Bulkhead looked at each other as Grimlock continued to act 'casual', their disbelief in Grimlock's denial obvious on their faces.

Prowl crossed his arms and turned back to the large Dinobot. "So," he said slowly, "you know nothing about him?"

"Nope. Me, Grimlock already tell you that."

"All right then," said Prowl after some hesitation. He motioned for Bulkhead to follow and then turned to leave, "we'll just have a quick look around anyway. Just in case he's hiding somewhere."

"You do that. Cause he not here." Grimlock assured. Once they stepped back under the tree canopy and out of sight, Grimlock transformed back into robot mode and ran through the forest in a different direction.

The two Autobots stepped back out and watched the trees rustle as he ran through them.

"That was the worst acting I've ever seen." Bulkhead said with a laugh as they began to follow the Dinobot's trail.

"I agree." Prowl smiled.

* * *

Fortunately, Grimlock's trail was easy to follow through the trees and trampled underbrush. And once they finally made it to the beach, they just followed the impressions in the sand of three-clawed T-rex tracks. As they followed, they could see him in the distance, busying himself around Snarl, who just sat in the sand, watching Grimlock stomp around him. As they neared the Dinobots, they could hear Grimlock speaking frantically.

"Get up, Snarl, before they come! No, stay there! Me, Grimlock see them coming! Don't move."

They stopped before Grimlock, who was looking around, trying to act like nothing was going on, again, and before Snarl, who was sitting silently on a pile of sand, clearly unconcerned. Either that was how he really felt, or he was just better at pretending it than Grimlock.

"Grimlock, are you sure you haven't seen Bumblebee here?" Prowl asked again, positive the Dinobots were hiding the small bot nearby, and hoping that Grimlock would just tell them where.

"There's no Bumblebee here. Just Dinobots, cause we don't allow anyone else but Dinobots on Dinobot Island. Right, Snarl?" Grimlock glanced at the triceratops, and then back at Prowl and Bulkhead. "Right." he said, answering for the quiet bot beside him. Snarl rolled his optics.

"Oh, come on! He's gotta be here somewhere!" Bulkhead said, near the breaking point and annoyed with the Dinobot's clear attempts at misleading them.

* * *

Bumblebee, who was quite buried underneath Snarl, lay unmoving since all of his attempts at getting the much heavier and larger bot off him failed. With his head buried deep in the sand, he was only vaguely aware of what was going on above ground. After Grimlock had left Snarl to sit on Bee, there was nothing, not even slight vibrations through the sand, so Snarl had probably fallen asleep where he sat.

But then, without any warning, and just before Bumblebee was about to try screaming from sheer boredom and helplessness, he felt the ground shake. Something large was running about him, but Snarl still didn't move, and Bumblebee could feel someone trying to bury his legs with sand, which were the only things not squished underneath tons of Dinobot. He started kicking them, to keep whoever it was from burying him further, but that action only received a few strong kicks to his foot. So he gave up on that idea.

Now, once again laying there unmoving and his legs covered in warm sand, he began to hear muffled voices. He thought that the voices didn't quite sound like Dinobots', but then again, it was hard to hear through all that was on top of him. But then he remembered that out of all the Dinobots, Grimlock was the only one who could speak! So there _was_ someone else out there! Maybe his rescue party!

Now with his hope returning, he started kicking and thrashing about in earnest. He just couldn't take it here anymore, and not just underneath the Dino, but on their island as well.

* * *

The Autobots and Dinobots stopped their arguing when the sand underneath Snarl started thrashing about. Yellow legs could be seen shifting the sand, and the Autobots knew immediately whose legs they were.

"Hey, that's Bumblebee!" Bulkhead pointed to the legs uncovering themselves from underneath the Dinobot.

"That not Bumblebee!" Grimlock protested, trying to kick the sand back over Bee.

"Yes, it is! Get him off of him." Bulkhead shoved Snarl hard enough that the Dinobot had to leap away from the small Autobot he had been sitting on for a number of hours now.

Once the weight lifted, Bumblebee quit thrashing about and went still, so relieved to finally have that four ton monster off him.

They all stared at him. Grimlock no longer denied it was Bee, and the two Autobots' optics widened at the size of the depression Bumblebee was filling.

"What were you thinking, having Snarl sit on him? You could have killed him." Prowl said angrily, crossing his arms.

"Oh, no, small bot's fine." Grimlock transformed into robot mode again, picked Bee up out of the sand, and stood him up. "See?" he said as he let him go. Bumblebee collapsed immediately to the ground, not even trying to stop his face from smacking into the sand. "He loves this place so much, he can kiss the ground!" Grimlock said, trying to smooth the situation.

Bulkhead stomped up, picked up the small bot from the ground, and shook him a little to make sure he was online.

"Hey, you ok, little buddy? Say something! Um, I mean, do something! C'mon, Bee!" he said as he tried to get a response.

Bumblebee opened his optics and pushed himself away from Bulkhead, and tried to stand on his own, but fell back. But Bulkhead caught him before he could hit the ground a second time.

"Why'd you have Snarl sit on him anyway?" Bulkhead asked.

"Well," Grimlock twiddled him thumbs, "he try to leave."

"So, why didn't you let him? You said yourself that only Dinobots are allowed on this island." Prowl asked, glancing at Bumblebee to assure himself he wasn't damaged.

"Right, only Dinobots allowed on island and Dinobots can't leave island!"

"Then why—"

"He Dinobot now!"

"What?" Both Prowl and Bulkhead asked at the same time, looking between Bee and the Dinobot.

"He went through secret trials! He is a Dinobot now. Name is Sting. Right?" Grimlock asked, turning to Bumblebee, or to Sting.

Bee shrugged weakly. What Grimlock said was true, even if he had forced him to do it all.

"See?" Grimlock said proudly. "So, he can't leave."

Prowl and Bulkhead looked at each other, not knowing what to do. How were they supposed to get Bee away from the Dinobots now? They clearly remembered how hard it had been to defeat the Dinobots that first time, and that was when they had the entire team with them. There was no way force would work, with only three Autobots, and Bumblebee still barely able to stand without help.

No, there had to be another way to get Bee away safely.

"But what if he wants to leave?" Bulkhead asked. "His home is with the other Autobots." Bumblebee nodded his agreement.

"No, he not Autobot. Besides, he left you in first place." Grimlock said, crossing his arms and sticking his nose in the air.

Prowl spoke up, an idea forming in his processor. "Yes, he did. He did leave the Autobots, his team."

Grimlock looked at the cyber-ninja skeptically. "And?"

"And," Prowl pointed accusingly at Bee, "he abandoned us."

"Him did?"

Prowl nodded.

Grimlock looked back at Bee, or in his mind, Sting. "Him traitor?"

"Yes, and you know that means we have to take him back."

Bulkhead scratched his head, not quite understanding what Prowl was up to. However, Bee, who was a little quicker to get it, just hoped Prowl knew what he was doing.

"If he left us, he would just leave you too." Prowl said, spreading his arms out to emphasize his point.

Grimlock tapped his chin, mulling over this new information. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. "He already try to leave. Him traitor to Dinobots!" Grimlock transformed back into dinosaur mode and started to snarl in Bee's face. The smaller bot took a few apprehensive steps back.

"So, will you let us take him back?"

Grimlock thrust his head in Prowl's face. "You punish him?"

Prowl nodded, not taking a step back from the angered Dinobot.

"Then you take him. Dinobots no need traitors!"

* * *

As the Autobots went across the island to the awaiting ferry, the Dinobots followed, almost like an escort. Once they reached the dock, Grimlock stopped them.

"You not going to punish Sting too much, are you?" he asked timidly.

"Well, I don't know. Why?" Prowl asked, puzzled by this unexpected question.

"Even though he low down, dirty traitor, we Dinobots still going to miss him!" Grimlock wailed. The other two Dinobots nodded their heads and moaned in agreement.

"Um…I guess we won't punish him too badly then." Prowl said.

"Can him, Sting, come back sometime? He can still be Dinobot?"

Prowl glanced over at Bumblebee, who shook his head 'no'. The ninja-bot smirked. "I think we can arrange some visits." he promised the Dinobots. Bumblebee's jaw dropped disbelievingly.

_You didn't! You can't honestly think you can get me to come back here!_ Bumblebee screamed in his head, wishing so badly that he could shout his thoughts at the scheming cyber-ninja.

They then boarded the ferry and shoved off, leaving the wild island behind them. Grimlock and the other Dinobots stood on the beach waving and shouting out their goodbyes to the bot who had become Sting.

Bumblebee, who wasn't really going to miss staying on that island one bit, suddenly felt bad about leaving the Dinobots like that. They really seemed to be going to miss him. He waved back at the shrinking forms on the beach, hoping they could see it. Maybe they weren't all that bad…maybe.

Turning back to his rescuers, he noticed they were frowning at him, arms crossed.

_What?_ Bumblebee scrunched up his face and made a questioning gesture with his hands.

"Do you know how worried we were about you?" Bulkhead demanded. "We searched all over Detroit! Twice! We thought something bad happened." Bulkhead's arms waved about his head, as his voice rising in volume. "And this whole time, you were there!" He pointed back to the island. "Stranded without a way to get help! What were you thinking!"

Bumblebee drooped his head and stared at the deck as Bulkhead ranted on. He felt awful for leaving, sure; hiding on that island was not fun. Next time he'd think of a better hideout.

"I ought to put you in stasis cuffs and lock you up back at the base!" Bulkhead continued, not resting in his tirade.

"Calm down, Bulkhead." Prowl said, amazing Bumblebee by coming to his rescue. "He's going to have enough of that once Sari gets hold of him."

Bumblebee grimaced as he thought of what that small girl would do.

"Yeah, you're right." Bulkhead said, calming immediately. "And then he'll still have to deal with Ratchet and the Boss Bot." He smiled.

"True."

_Suddenly, living with the Dinobots doesn't seem so bad._ Bumblebee thought as his two friends started relating all the things the remaining team had threatened to do to Bee once they returned him to the plant.

* * *

Yup, Bee is probably going to get an earful once he gets back. :) And now, our little escapade with the Dinobots ends. I'm kind of sad to see those guys go, but the story must go on!

So, have you enjoyed this chapter? If so, click the review button and let me know. ^_^


	12. Homecoming

Ok, hey everyone! I'm updating again! Yay! So, no, I haven't fallen off the edge of the world, or been ubducted by aliens. This story has been a long time coming, almost a month I think, so I hope I haven't lost anyone. I'm not going to be this bad again, really. The next update will come sooner.

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Homecoming

Bumblebee wasn't one for quiet drives through the city, but that's just what he got. Neither Prowl nor Bulkhead said anything to him for the entire trip from the piers to the warehouse. He felt surrounded; Prowl led the way, Bulkhead followed behind, and he was stuck in the middle, unable to get around his 'guards'. As they stopped in the parking lot in front of the base, Prowl and Bulkhead transformed and stepped aside.

Bumblebee transformed after them and looked at them questioningly when they didn't lead him on. Prowl pointed to the door.

"You first. Prime's waiting for you."

Drooping his head, Bumblebee stepped under the archway, and looked behind to see that Prowl and Bulkhead didn't follow behind him. Relenting to the fact that he was now in this alone, he plodded down the hall. Each step seemed to take longer than the last as he made his way to what he knew was going to be a sound, verbal thrashing from the Prime. He knew Optimus wasn't going to take it easy on him this time. He just hoped they'd wait until after his voice processor was repaired so he could defend himself.

When he entered the common room, he knew that was not going to be. Prime and Sari were there, both standing with their arms crossed, the same scowl on their faces, and the same foreboding air about them. Behind them was a single chair: the questioning chair. Or maybe the condemning chair. Going by the looks on their faces, it could go either way for the delinquent bot.

Sari motioned with her hand for Bumblebee to come closer and stepped near the single chair. "Come here, Bumblebee." she said. "Sit."

Obediently, Bumblebee plopped down in the chair, and looked at the ground.

"We have a _lot_ to talk about."

Bumblebee peered up from his feet to look Sari in the eye. She stood with her hands on her hips and her scowl only became deeper. Bumblebee cringed.

_Ok, just get it over with! Please._ He begged her in his mind, knowing that even if he could talk it wouldn't do any good.

"Bumblebee, do you know how stupid it was? Running away like that? You have no way of contacting anyone, and we have no way of finding you." Sari's arms waved around uncontrollably, flailing this way and that as she paced, her voice rising in pitch. "What were you thinking? No wait," she thrust her face in front of Bee's, "you weren't!"

Bumblebee began to twiddle his thumbs as he waited through her outburst. He risked a glance up at Prime, who stood there behind Sari, his servos still crossed and the frown still carved on his features. He just stood there, glaring, and when Sari made a point, he would nod, agreeing with everything she said.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, Bumblebee!" she screamed. Bee jerked his head back toward Sari, ashamed he got caught not paying attention. She had her arms crossed now, and her head held high, as if challenging Bee to turn away again.

_Sorry._ He resigned himself to listening to the rest of the rant.

Sari sighed and then shook her head disappointedly. "Of all the crazy, thoughtless, stupid, hot-headed, dopey things to do, Bumblebee, this has got to be the worst. Who knows what type of trouble you could have got into? You're lucky the worst thing that happened was the Dinobots! And that makes me wonder, why did you go there in the first place? You had to go to the one place that is the most out of reach, and the most dangerous. You couldn't have done worse if you went to the Decepticon hideout and picked a fight with all of them at once!"

_You sure about that?_ Bumblebee smiled a little at the thought of all the Dinobots put him through.

"What's so funny? Wipe that grin of your face!"

_Sheesh, it's boot camp all over again._ Bumblebee inwardly groaned. _Who knew she had it in her to be a drill sergeant?_

"You had us all scared. Didn't you realize what running away would do, Bee? It was dumb, and I don't want you to ever think about doing something like that again. Do you understand me?"

_Yes, Mother._ Bumblebee nodded, glad that this rant seemed to be ending.

"Good." Sari stepped aside and looked up at the Prime. "Got anything else to add, Optimus?"

"Nope, I think you covered it."

"You are confined to quarters until further notice." Sari said, pointing down the hallway to their rooms.

_What? Now _you're_ punishing me?_

"You heard her. Get." Prime pointed in the same direction as Sari.

If Bee could have protested, he would have, but seeing he couldn't, he stood up and shuffled down the hallway.

Once he was gone, Sari looked up at Prime and smiled. "How'd I do?"

"You did good," Optimus chuckled, "but I think you went a little overboard."

"Just making sure he gets it the first time."

At that moment, Prowl and Bulkhead decided to step in. They had grins on their faces after hearing Sari's lecture from down the hallway.

"You were right when you said Bee was going to get it from Sari." Bulkhead said, shaking with mirth.

"Though I think it was a little worse than suggested."

"So, what happened when you two got to Dinobot Island?" Prime asked, ready for their report.

"Well, crazy stuff, Boss-bot." Bulkhead began. "Like the Dinobots had changed Bee's name to Sting. _And_ they claimed he was a _Dinobot_."

"Huh?" Sari raised an eyebrow.

"And that's a story I'm curious to hear Bumblebee tell." Prowl said, then looked up at Optimus. "Have you told Bumblebee that his vocal processor hasn't really arrived?"

"Um, no." the Prime answered. "I wasn't planning on letting him know until later, when we're sure he won't try running away again."

_

* * *

_

They didn't even mention anything about the vocal processor. I've been without it forever! How can they do this to me? Sending me to my room without a voice!

Bumblebee plopped down on his recharge berth and glared at the closed door in front of him. His dry erase board was on the bed next to him, cleaned and patiently waiting for him to use it again.

_I'm not using that thing again…unless they don't repair me soon!_ Bee was mad, and there was nothing that could calm him short of a voice.

_I don't wanna stay in here! Just repair me now so things can go back to normal! _He dropped down flat on his berth, complaining a mile a minute in his head. _Staying with the Dinobots was punishment enough I think. I've learned my lesson: I'm never running away to Dinobot Island again! And that's a promise!_

He stared up at the ceiling, starting to count the tiles. Being stuck in a room was absolutely no fun, and being sent into his room like a misbehaving protoform was insulting. He was too old to be treated this way, and that made him madder than before. He'd have a few choice words for them when his punishment was over, that he was sure. So, stuck in there all alone, he began plotting out exactly what he was going to say to all of them.

* * *

After they had sent Bumblebee to his room, Optimus came into Ratchet's med bay to tell him that he was back. Being the doctor Ratchet was, his first question was about Bumblebee's health. Optimus said he had seemed perfectly fine, only a few extra dents and a few scrapes, but nothing that seemed painful.

"You should've sent him to me first." Ratchet said.

"I thought a little punishment first would help him think about what he did."

"Yeah, and you know what's going to happen once his punishment is over?"

Prime shook his head and shrugged.

"He's gonna come bursting in here, thinking I have the voice box, and wanting it back! I'm not gonna to be the one to break it to him that you lied to him." Ratchet pointed at Optimus. "That's _your_ job." Ratchet laughed a little. "And good luck to ya when you do."

"I can handle it. What's the worst he can do?"

"Literally blow up," Ratchet suggested, half-serious, half-joking, making Optimus cringe at the thought.

* * *

An hour later found Optimus entering Bumblebee's quarters, where he found the young bot hanging upside-down off the edge of his bed like a bat, his feet on the berth being the only thing keeping him from falling on his head.

Prime just looked at Bumblebee after he came in, and Bumblebee looked back at him with a "what?" look on his face, like hanging this way was normal.

"Bee, why are you upside-down?" Prime just had to ask.

Bumblebee glanced at himself, and then shrugged. Really, he didn't know either. A bot will do strange things when he's trying to relieve boredom, and hanging upside-down had actually worked for a while.

"Ok, then." Optimus probably could guess the reason anyway. "Can you get upright? I have something I need to tell you."

Bumblebee grabbed the edge of the berth and then pulled himself up into a sitting position, and then twirled around so he was facing Prime.

_Ok, shoot._

"Ok, first, you're not going to run away again, right?"

He shook his head. He had his fill of wilderness survival for the rest of his lifecycle.

"Promise?" Rolling his optics, Bee nodded. _Promise…for now._

"Ok, good. 'Cause what I have to tell you is something you're probably not going to like. At all."

_Uh oh, what no doubt terrible torture are you planning for more punishment?_

"You got my comm. message, right? Telling you to get back here?"

He nodded. He scribbled on the eraser board and held it up. _"What are you getting at?"_

"Well, I told you that we had your replacement part," Optimus rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "but truthfully, Bumblebee, I only said that to get you to come back. We really don't have it yet."

Optimus was expecting the literal explosion that Ratchet predicted, but it didn't come. Bumblebee just sat on the berth, his face emotionless and focused on nothing. Optimus worried that maybe the news had been too much for Bee, and his processor shut down. He had heard of that happening, even though he had never seen it before. Slowly, Bumblebee's gaze fell to the floor. Had the usually perky bot fallen into depression?

Bee began writing on his white bored. Optimus watched him until he finished and held it up. Seeing what was written there suddenly made him feel very sorry he had lied to Bee, even if it was to get him back.

"_You didn't have to do that, Prime."_ it read.

The Prime lowered his gaze. "I know, Bumblebee, but we were beyond worried and frustrated. It was the only thing I could think of. I know it was wrong, and I'm sorry for doing it. We were expecting the worst had happened to you."

Bumblebee felt slight flash of guilt break through his remorse. He had caused all this. He thought of all the calls he had ignored over his communicator while he was away, they were always laced with worry, even those from Ratchet and Prowl. And when they finally found him, all the lectures he got up until now had been about how much he worried them. He would have sighed if he could have. He scribbled something down on the board again.

"_I'm sorry I made everyone worry. I won't do it again. I guess I've learned my lesson."_

Optimus smiled when he read that. "It's all right, Bumblebee. We're just all glad you are ok. And from now on, none of us are going to give you a hard time."

"_What about Prowl?"_ Bumblebee scratched down on the board.

Prime laughed. "I'll have a talk with him, ok?"

* * *

Well, can you all remember where we were when I left off? I hope so. lol Well, this chapter turned out differently than I had planned. Bumblebee learned a valuable lesson! Yay! Good for him. Maybe everything I put him through will soon be over. (Ha ha) This is the beginning of the ending, so there may only be a few more chapters after this.

As always, clicky the review button below and leave your thoughts, comments, or complaints. And it's great to be back y'all. ^-^


	13. Distraction

Yes, yes, I know. I said last chapter that this one wouldn't take as long a wait. I didn't mean to lie! But thanks must go to **Sounddrive** for telling me a number of times to get working on this chapter. If she hadn't, who knows when I would've started on this again! If it takes me a long time to get chapter 14 up, everyone start pestering me about it, ok? lol

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Distraction

A week and a half. That's all Bumblebee had to wait now. A week and a half. He could make it. He wouldn't despair a second time. He didn't have any more ideas on where to run away to anyway. Dinobot Island had been the perfect hiding spot, even if it had been terrible.

With everything back to normal, except for it being rather quiet, Bumblebee had developed a routine. He would watch TV and play video games all day. That in itself was normal, but he didn't have to take a turn watching the monitors because if a message came through or something out of the ordinary came up he wouldn't know how to handle it properly without speaking. Even being the electronics lover he was, sitting in front of the screen all day with no breaks or chores got boring for him after a few days. He had a little over a week left of this, and he was sure he was going to rust where he sat before the wait was over.

At the moment, he had the TV on the sci-fi channel, though he didn't pay attention to the alien movie that was playing. He was slumped down on the couch, doodling on the dry erase board. He would look up at the screen every now and again when he heard one of the movie characters scream as the evil aliens attacked, but even the action scenes didn't hold his interest today. He was just too bored of the never changing rut he got himself into.

Bulkhead stepped in just in time to see one of the human characters disintegrated by the aliens' weapons on the screen. He grimaced. He always hated these types of movies, especially since the aliens were always the bad guys with disintegrating guns. No one saw him or any of the other Autobots going around doing that to the planet natives. He wasn't even sure if disintegrating guns were real.

Looking away from the TV, he noticed Bumblebee wasn't even paying attention to the movie, but was busy scribbling on his eraser board. Stepping over to see what it was, he found Bumblebee putting the finishing touches on a drawing of a very detailed racecar speeding across the finish line.

"Wow, Bee," he said, startling Bee slightly with his seemingly sudden appearance, "that's actually very good. I didn't know you were an artist!"

Bumblebee quickly erased the picture off the board and then proceeded to draw stick people, very poorly drawn stick people, surrounded by warped trees and simplistic clouds above them. All in all, a very childish doodle.

The big, green Autobot shook his head. He knew Bee was doing that to try to hide the fact he had actually drawn something very good, and had been spotted.

"Being creative isn't something to be ashamed to admit, Bee." Bulkhead said. "It looked like you've been drawing a while."

_I don't know where you got that idea._ Bumblebee thought. Actually, Bumblebee had only started drawing since he had been back from Dinobot Island. Nothing as elaborate as Bulkhead's paintings of course, but he had doodled occasionally when he was bored. It wasn't like he wanted to become a full-fledged artist like Bulkhead!

"Why are you drawing anyway? Didn't think you were the type to sit down and actually DO something quiet!" Bulkhead said with a chuckle.

_The only way I can do things right now is quietly!_ Bumblebee grumbled in his mind, but wrote on his dry erase board, _"I'm BORED!"_

"Oh," Bulkhead scratched the top of his head as he thought, "I don't really know what else you could do, besides what you're doing now. Hey! That's an idea!"

_What is?_

"I'll teach you how to paint! I've already seen you have artistic talent!"

"_Noooo!"_

* * *

"_Thanks for getting me out of there, Sari."_ Bumblebee held his message where Sari could see it as they made their way up the stands to the very top of Tigatron Stadium, where it would be easy for a Transformer to sit and watch the game.

"It's no problem, Bee." Sari said with a wave of her hand as she sat down in one of the seats in the 'nose-bleed' section, and Bumblebee sat on the wall above. "It's what best friends are for!" She grinned.

Sari had come in soon after Bulkhead had declared he was going to teach Bumblebee all about art. She took one glance at Bee standing in front of a canvass with a brush in his hand and a scowl on his face to know that it wouldn't go well. So, as graciously as she could, she convinced Bulkhead to let Bee leave with her to go watch the baseball game. Bumblebee didn't really care about watching a baseball game, he had played many videogames of it, and he didn't see how sitting in the stands watching a bunch of guys hit the ball with their clubs, or as Sari insisted they were called, 'bats', would be better. He still didn't understand why the humans called them bats, because he had heard Prowl say that a bat was a small, winged mammal, not a wooden or metal stick. They didn't look similar in any way, one had wings the other didn't. One was used to hit a ball pitched at it, and the other, he heard, turned organics into vampires when it bit them. Sari couldn't explain why they were called the same thing, so she told Bee to just roll with it and try not to think about it.

After sitting there for a while, the players came out and took their positions on the field. The team they were rooting for was the first to 'bat'.

_Again with the bat thing. Maybe all baseball players are vampires. Maybe that's why they like bats so much. Hey, wait? What's that guy called who yells a lot? It sounds something like vampire. Or empire?_ Bumblebee made a silent gasp. _Maybe he's a vampire emperor! This game sounds a lot more sinister now._

They were only there fifteen minutes when Sari stood up and looked up at Bee, who was now convincing himself that the players all had fangs.

"Bee? I'm going to get a chilidog. Ok? I'll be right back." Bee waved her on and continued to watch the game. The home team had just one a point, and that wasn't the team they were rooting for.

_What happens when one of the vampire teams wins?_ he pondered.

Sari had been gone a while, but that was understandable considering how crowded the stadium was. Bumblebee hadn't started to worry about her just yet. But he did start to worry about himself when he heard a crash behind the scoreboard he was sitting next to.

Trying to see what the noise was, he poked his head around the scoreboard, but suddenly went rigid when he saw a dark figure stand up from where it had just landed. It was tall, powerfully built, and had two purple, metal wings on its back. Bumblebee froze in shock when he recognized it was Blitzwing standing not fifteen feet from him. The Decepticon turned away, not noticing the Autobot watching him, and peaked out from behind the scoreboard to the game played below. When he had landed, Blitzwing's rational personality was dominant, but after settling down next to the scoreboard, the random face switched into view and cackled.

"Yah! Go home team!" Blitzwing yelled and threw up his hand, which had a giant foam glove on it, which read 'We're #1!'

Bumblebee just looked on with his mouth agape in utter confusion as Blitzwing continued to cheer on the human baseball team below. He had known Blitzwing was the most insane of any Decepticon _ever_, but he never imagined that he would leave whatever 'Con duties he had to watch an organic game, much less cheer the players on!

Just at that moment, Sari decided to return, carrying her giant, messy chilidog. "I'm back!" she announced. Bumblebee placed a finger to his lips as she sat down to continue watching the game. She looked back up at him with an eyebrow raised. "What?" she asked.

Suddenly, the visiting team's batter hit the ball high, and began to run around the diamond. The home team players dove frantically, trying to catch the ball, but it was no use. The batter had scored a home run, and had just pushed his team into the winning position. Bumblebee glanced back at Blitzwing, whose random face spun around viciously and revealed the hotheaded personality.

"Foul! Foul!" he cried. "Zat batter iz out!" Blitzwing jumped to his feet and shook his fists at the man below who had just completed the home run.

"What's that?" Sari asked as Blitzwing's angry rant started to reach her ears over the roar of the ecstatic crowd.

_Um, you probably don't want to know._ Bumblebee got down from his perch, carefully so not to alert Blitzwing that he had had company up there, scooped up Sari, and quickly climbed down to the ground so they could leave.

"Hey, Bee!" Sari protested as she was carried away. "The game isn't even halfway though yet. Why are we leaving?"

Once Bumblebee was down on the ground and standing next to the road, he hastily wrote one word on the board before showing it to Sari.

"Blitzwing?" Sari read the word out loud. "Where? Here? At the game?"

Bee nodded and transformed, opening the passenger door for Sari to climb in.

"If he's here, then why are we leaving? Shouldn't we do something?" Sari asked, pointing back to the stadium.

Bumblebee revved his engine impatiently as Sari continued to stand there. He didn't see Blitzwing doing any harm where he was, but it was dangerous for them to stay there, just in case something _did_ happen. He wouldn't be able to alert the other Autobots if the worst happened. If he were alone, he wouldn't care so much. He would probably do something risky.

Sari finally climbed into the passenger side and Bumblebee immediately merged into traffic. "Fine," she said, "but I think we better tell Prime we saw Blitzwing here. He may be up to something."

_Besides watching a ball game? I guess that's Blitzwing for ya. He does seem crazy enough to like something so…random._ Bumblebee would've laughed at his cheesy pun if he could, but instead he made the turn, which would lead them back to the base.

Once they arrived, Prime glanced up from the history show he was watching to see both Sari and Bumblebee step into the room. His expression changed into a puzzled one and he paused the documentary on the TV.

"You're back earlier than you said you'd be. Don't baseball games last longer than forty minutes?" he asked.

"Well, yeah, but Bee spotted an unwelcome fan in the bleachers." Sari informed as Bee nodded from behind her.

"Who?"

"Blitzwing, believe it or not!"

"_He was watching the game, so I got us out of there before he noticed us."_ wrote Bumblebee on his eraser board.

"You just left?" Optimus asked. "You didn't try to get his attention with one of your obnoxious jeers?"

_Yeah, yeah. Very funny. I must be losing my mind here. _Bumblebee thought with a frown and placed his hands on his hips.

"Well, Bumblebee, I'm surprised." Optimus said with a teasing smile. "You didn't do a hotheaded thing the entire time?"

_Very funny, Prime._ Bumblebee scowled. _I expected something like that from Prowl or Bulkhead, but not you!_

Optimus stood and then turned for the hallway leading to their quarters. "Bulkhead and Ratchet are still here. I'll get them and we'll go check it out and make sure Blitzwing isn't up to something." He turned his head back to the young Autobot and his organic friend. "You two will stay here though."

_After I come all the way back here to tell you about the Decepticon, you won't even allow me to come! What if a fight starts? You'll need me!_

As Bumblebee followed Prime with his arms flailing around in his silent rant, Sari sighed and shook her head. She could probably guess what he was fussing about, even though no sound came from his mouth.

Bumblebee finally consented to staying at the base while the others went and 'had all the fun' as he had complained to Sari once Prime, Bulkhead, and Ratchet left. They were sitting at the TV, with it turned to the channel broadcasting the very same baseball game. Every now and again, they would get a short glimpse of one of the Autobots there as the camera scanned the cheering crowd. Blitzwing, however, was nowhere to be seen, unless you knew he was there and were looking for him. Every time the screen would show the scoreboard Bumblebee had seen the Decepticon hiding behind, he swore he could see the 'Con's shadow behind it. Sari had to look hard, but she even had to admit that it did look like something was back there. Prime hadn't ventured up to the crazy Decepticon's hiding place yet, hoping that there wouldn't be an incident and that Blitzwing was actually there just to enjoy the game since he hadn't made himself known or hadn't caused any terror. The Autobots were ready for it though, waiting for what they knew was the inevitable.

As the game was nearing its end, Prowl came back to the base and saw Bumblebee and Sari watching the baseball game with much more intent than they had ever displayed before. Curious, the cyber-ninja peeked over their shoulders to see if there was anything unusual about this particular game. As the visiting team scored the winning point, the people in the crowded stands erupted in cheers or boos, depending on the team they were rooting for, and Sari and Bumblebee leaned forward in their seats with their eyes and optics stretched wide.

"You said he was cheering the home team, right, Bee?" Sari didn't even glance away from the screen as she asked.

Bumblebee nodded, leaning in a little more.

"Do you see him?" Sari asked again, her gaze darting all over the scene before her.

"See who?" Prowl asked, unable to figure out what the two were talking about by just observing them, and his curiosity was piqued enough to make him ask.

Both Sari and Bee jumped at the unexpected voice. Sari turned around to look at Prowl who was standing behind them. "When did you get here?" she gasped.

"A few minutes ago. Now," he said turning to the screen, "who or what are you looking for?"

Just then, Bumblebee jumped up and pointed at the TV and a familiar tan and purple jet speeding away from the stadium. The surprising eruption of jet engines above surprised the crowd of people into silence as they all covered their ears and glanced around, trying to figure out where the thundering noise was coming from and why.

"There he goes!" Sari said jumping up to stand on the concrete couch.

"Blitzwing? You were looking for Blitzwing?" Prowl asked, puzzled that the 'Con was even at the human ball game to begin with.

Sari waved him off. "Yeah, apparently he's a fan." She then turned to her yellow friend who had sat back down next to her. "And look at that! I thought that if his team lost he would've destroyed Tigatron Stadium!"

Bumblebee nodded.

"Can someone explain this whole thing to me?" Prowl asked, completely annoyed now, and becoming more and more confused as he watched.

* * *

I hope I haven't lost any readers because of the lateness of all these updates. I'm really annoyed with myself, I really am. So, I apologize! And I hope this doesn't stop anyone from reviewing this chapter. ;)


	14. Delivery

Oh, dear! What's this? An update? Why, yes it is! Thanks for the messeges and reviews telling me to continue. It finally paid off. ^^

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Delivery

"Bumblebee? Bumblebee, where the slag are you?" Ratchet had scoured the entire base for the elusive Autobot, and hadn't even turned up a single clue to his whereabouts. Needless to say, Ratchet was getting more irritable the longer he looked, and he had been looking for a very long time. Leaving the plant, and coming to stand out in the yard, he crossed his arms and glared at the other 'Bots already gathered there.

Optimus took one look at the medic's expression and knew his luck had been the same as everybot else's. "Didn't find him?" he asked anyway.

"Sure I did. Can't you see me dragging him out here behind me?" Ratchet asked sarcastically. "Of course I didn't find him! The idiotic kid's run away again."

"I don't think he's run away." Bulkhead interjected. "Sari's gone too, so they're probably off somewhere together."

"After that baseball game?" asked a skeptic Ratchet. "You'd think they'd stay away from public places."

"Nothing bad happened at that game." Optimus reminded.

"I'd still like to know why Blitzwing was watching it in the first place." Prowl spoke up from where he stood next to Bulkhead. Bulkhead laughed.

"Maybe he's just a fan, and wanted to watch the game?" he suggested.

Prowl shook his head. "It's never that simple when it comes to Decepticons. They always have a sinister reason behind everything they do."

"We're also talking about Blitzwing, the one who really doesn't follow logic." Bulkhead reminded.

"Putting that strange episode behind us," Optimus said with a shake of his head, "let's concentrate on finding Bumblebee. If we don't, we're going to have to leave without him. That Cybertronian ship will be here any cycle now, and we need to be at the rendezvous point when they do."

"Bumblebee's not going to like it if he misses this." Bulkhead announced.

"It's his fault for gallivanting off to who knows where, when he knew his replacement part was due any day now. Let's just go." Ratchet said, finalizing everything. The rest of the Autobots agreed with the grumpy medic, and forgetting Bumblebee for the moment, transformed and drove away from the base, heading for the city outskirts for the chosen meeting place.

* * *

For what seemed the hundredth time that day, Sari stumbled as she carried the heavy box full of odds and ends and other unexplainable stuff. She growled as some of the contents fell to the ground and she had to stop to pick them back up. As she placed the coil of rope back on top of the box, she shot a glare at Bee, who was carrying the smaller box in one hand. He claimed it would be smarter for him to carry the smaller items so he could have a hand free so he could communicate.

"I still think you're just being lazy." She accused, hefting the large box back into her arms. Bumblebee pointed at himself with the most innocent look on his face, and then shook his head no.

"Yes, you are! What's all this crazy stuff for anyway?" She and Bumblebee had been driving all over town that morning, going to odd shops and buying, what it seemed like to Sari, the most random items imaginable. She couldn't think of a single thing to do with all the junk Bumblebee made her buy. Now, they were back at the plant, but at the rear of the building. Bumblebee stopped so he could open up the rarely used back door. He placed his load on top of Sari's and turned back to unlock the large padlock.

"Bee! This is too heavy!" Sari started to wobble and the boxes shifted from side to side precariously, making it harder for the eight-year-old to stand still.

"Oh, no! Aaahh!" She screamed as the top box shifted too far to the front, and she lost her balance, the box beginning to fall to the floor and Sari following it. Bumblebee quickly turned around, grabbed the tumbling objects, and steadied Sari. He scowled at her as he took both of the boxes away. He put a finger to his lips.

"_Silence is golden."_

"What?" Sari looked at Bee with an eyebrow raised. That phrase was a lyric from an old, old song she had heard once scanning the radio, only this time it had come from Bumblebee.

"_Silence is golden, golden."_ Bumblebee replied by playing more of the song.

"Are you telling me to shut up?" she asked. Bee nodded and then shifted the boxes to one arm as he opened the door with his other hand.

"How'd you do that?"

"_XM Satellite One…Digital Cable brings you…Columbia Broadcasting System."_

Sari followed Bee into the base and turned to him as he shut the door. "The radio? You're using the radio?"

Bumblebee grinned like he was completely proud of himself, and nodded.

"Wow, when did you learn to do that?"

In answer, another line from another song started to play. _"What about now? What about today?"_

"Oh, so you mean you just figured it out today?" she interpreted, pretty sure that's the point Bee was trying to get across with this new, yet limited, way of communication.

Bumblebee nodded again and then began to tiptoe through the hall. When he came to a turn, he peaked around it, making sure there was no one there to spot them. He motioned with his head that Sari was to follow him, and they silently crept down the deserted hallway.

The base was extremely quiet today. The noise from the TV was nonexistent and there were no voices from conversations of the other Autobots. When they finally made it to the main room, Bumblebee peaked into the room and looked around and even up and down for a glimpse of any of the other bots. He smiled when the room turned out to be completely empty. Quickly switching through his music and found a song that conveyed his message perfectly.

"_I think we're alone now. There doesn't seem to be anyone around."_

Stepping into the living room, Sari took a look around herself, and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, where do you think everyone went?" she asked, turning back to look at Bee, who was kneeling on the floor shifting items around in one of the boxes. When he noticed Sari was expecting an answer, he stopped searching and thought about it. Not coming up with anything, he just shrugged.

"What? No radio talk for that?" she teased.

_Well, I can't think of a song to fit for every single question._ He thought to himself, but just gave Sari a frown and then went digging in the box again. He pulled out some paint cans and a plastic bag full of something. He grinned mischievously.

* * *

While Bumblebee and Sari started their little construction project back at the base, the other Autobots were waiting patiently outside of town for their expected guests to arrive. They didn't have to wait for too long, because soon after they arrived, they spotted something entering their atmosphere above their heads. It seemed to be on fire as it came closer, its speed not seeming to slow as it descended. As soon as it got close enough that the Autobots watching were sure it wouldn't be able to slow down enough before it crashed into the ground and them, its speed suddenly halted, and it lowered itself to the ground in a large cloud of smoke and exhaust. The smoke billowed out, blocking the ship from their optics, and engulfed them. Fortunately, it was windy, and the wind soon blew it passed them and over the city.

When the smoke cleared around them, the Autobots were surprised to see that it was just a small cruiser that caused all the smoke. If it was even correct in calling it a cruiser anymore, the ship was very old, and in a serious state of disrepair. There were scratches and dents all over the framework, like it was continually bombarded with asteroids and other kinds of space debris. There were even holes in the metal that look like they were caused by shrapnel. This ship didn't look like it was space-worthy.

As they were puzzling over the extensive damage, the gangplank began to lower with a hiss and a moan, and as Optimus and the others inched closer, they could hear yelling going on inside.

"Kid, if you ever pull a screw-less stunt like that again, I'm gonna throw you out of the ship next time we're light-years away from anywhere and leave you floating alone out there!"

The Autobots exchanged glances as the bot speaking began to descend the gangplank, still yelling into the ship at someone, whose responses were too muffled to understand. Optimus gasped as he realized who this old, teal-colored bot was.

"Sergeant Kup!" he exclaimed. The grizzled bot in question looked at Optimus for the first time and squinted his dim optics at him; he took a cy-gar from his mouth before he spoke.

"Yeah, that's me. Now, who are you?" he asked as he looked Optimus up and down. "Wait," he said as recognition came to his features, "Optimus, right?"

"That's right." Prime smiled.

"Yeah, I remember you now." Kup said with a laugh. "One of the most promising cadets I've ever trained in all my years as a drill sergeant! What's become of ya, lad?"

"Well, um," he began reluctantly, especially after Kup's appraisal of him, "I'm actually just the head of a space bridge repair crew."

"Eh, too bad." Kup said, shrugging it off. "You won't stay there forever though." He reassured.

"The kid's also too modest. He forgot to mention he's been leading us in fighting Decepticons here." Ratchet interjected. Kup turned with a grin towards the medic and both bots greeted each other with slaps on the back and friendly laughter.

"Ratchet, you old rust bucket, I haven't seen you since the Great War. I didn't know what had happened to ya!"

"Yeah, it's been a while, old friend. I thought you off-lined millennia ago."

"How come everyone seems to know each other?" Bulkhead asked looking at Prowl, who was the only other one who didn't know the old bot.

"It's a small universe, Bulkhead." The ninja-bot answered.

"You bet it is, kid." Kup said, and then turned back to Optimus. "Now, there's gotta be a reason we're in this Primus-forsaken sector. We have a delivery for you. Right?"

"That's right." Optimus said with a nod.

Kup pulled a data pad out of subspace and searched through the deliveries until he came to theirs. "Ah, there ya are. Wait here a minute, it's in the back."

He turned to go back up the gangplank and disappeared into the ship. It was taking a while, and the Autobots were becoming restless waiting for Kup to return.

"Maybe it's a blessing that Bumblebee was no where to be found." Ratchet said turning away from the run-down spaceship. "Can you imagine waiting out here with that hyperactive kid for this long?" His companions replied with some laughs and groans at the thought.

While they had been waiting, music started drifting out of the ship, wild, banging, and the bass pumped up. It was a popular Earth song, and apparently, the rinky-dink ship had a great sound system. Finally, Kup returned to them, shouting once again back into the cruiser as he hurried to leave.

"If you don't turn that blasted stuff off right now and get out here I'm going to smash your speakers! And don't think I won't!"

He turned back to Optimus' crew and sighed, rolling his optics. "Kids. Can't live with 'em, can't melt 'em down for spare parts."

"Now, why does that sound familiar?" Bulkhead muttered quietly to Prowl. Ratchet turned a glare in their direction.

"Here's what ya asked for." Kup said, handing the package to Optimus. "Kind of an odd delivery. A voice box?"

"It's a long story." Prime answered. "And a weird one."

"The old 'bot loves long stories. At least, he likes to tell 'em." Hearing the new voice, the Autobots looked back to the ship and saw a bot so tall, he had to duck while exiting though the door. He was red, had what looked like two speakers mounted in his lower legs, and on his helm was headphones, with antennae attached to them on both sides. He also had a dark face with a big, friendly smile. Once he left the ship, he leaned up against the outer wall and crossed his arms in a carefree manner, then nodded his head to them in acknowledgement.

"Err," sighed Kup, "that's Blaster. He's been helping me with the deliveries for the past solar cycle."

"Yup, that's right. But I'm about to get out of this job. I'm plannin' on joining the Elite Guard when we get back to Cybertron."

"Wants to be a communications officer." Kup informed them. "But what we really need is a maintenance bot around with the way he flies this thing. I feel like each take off will be my last."

"Oh, c'mon, man," Blaster said with a frown, "this junk heap was fallin' apart like this when ya hired me."

"Did you see all that smoke coming from the engines when we landed? This ship was not meant to be flown like a rocket! I'd be surprised if we could take off again after that landing." He gave a sideways glance to the earthbound bots. "Yes, what we need is a repair crew."

When Optimus and the others didn't say anything, or in anyway acknowledge that they had even heard Kup's last statement, he stepped up to the ship and tapped it with his palm.

"I guess we'll have to repair it ourselves though." A bolted sheet of metal fell to the ground at his tapping. "But there's so much work to do, we'll probably miss something important, or mess it up more. We'll probably be out in space and the entire ship falls apart around us so we'd be doomed to float through space for the rest of our lifecycles. Or the thrusters could give out and we could be pulled into a star. We'd probably melt to the metal of the ship, and then become one big lump of molten slag. Our sparks would be the last to go of course, so we'd be aware through the whole thing."

Blaster grimaced at Kup's words.

"Yup, there's so much that we could do wrong." Kup continued. He cast Optimus' crew a brief look, and then sighed. "Yep, a repair crew would be a blessing."

Optimus rolled his optics and then spoke up. "Would you like us to help you repair the damage to your ship, Kup?"

"Oh, I couldn't ask that of you. It's our ship, Blaster's mess. We can fix it. Can't you, Blaster?"

"Wha-?" Blaster sputtered indignantly, "Well, you sure got from 'we' to 'me' in a hurry."

Optimus and Ratchet both knew where this was going. They had known Kup long enough to know that he was going to continue until they insisted on doing the work for him.

"No, really, let us help. It's the least we can do since you came all the way out here to deliver our package." Optimus said. Kup waved him off.

"No. No. I won't think of it."

"Well, fine then." Ratchet said, turning to leave. "If you don't need our help—"

Before Kup could lose the laborers he was trying to recruit, he cut Ratchet off before he could finish speaking. "All right, you can help. But only because you insist so much."

"Oh, brother!" Blaster said, and then face-palmed his forehead.

"What's wrong with you? Huh, punk?" Kup turned on Blaster, while Blaster insisted he didn't mean anything by it. Optimus and Ratchet just rolled their eyes and shook their heads. And as they had been from the beginning, Bulkhead and Prowl just stood there in utter confusion.

* * *

I took the suggestion given to me by many reviewers to have Bee speak through the radio. While I didn't plan on having him do that in the beginning, y'all changed my mind. ;) Song lyrics used were from "Silence is Golden" by The Tremeloes, "What About Now" by Daughtry, and "I Think We're Alone Now" by Tommy James and the Shondells. Also used was the quote from Bumblebee in Dreamworks' Transformers. Yes, two of the songs are oldies, but let's face it, I know more old music than I do the modern stuff that people my age should like! If you don't know the songs, go look them up. They're great.

If you enjoyed, of course review. I'm going to try to get the other chapter posted really soon. (How many times have I said that before?)

Oh! And thanks to Sounddrive with her help with Kup and Blaster. Those tfwiki pages you showed me really gave me some inspiration.

P.S. Hey, scroll up, up, up, yeah right there. The review counter. 99 reviews, it says. Hm, yes. So, who wants to make the lucky number 100th reviewer? C'mon, it's so close to 100 I almost want to review it myself just to get it there. But that won't work, I'm the author, so I have to ask you, fair reader, for the honor of 100 reviews. (And if you think that whole speech was crazy, it's probably because I got up early, and my brain still isn't working properly. So, yeah...100 reviews please!)


	15. Conclusion

Well, Happy Valentine's Day everyone! And isn't this appropriate? I'm updating on the holiday! I was going to work on this chapter and get it up earlier, but I had a busy class that burned me out everyday. So, I'm sorry about that.

Oh, and this is the last chapter. Yes, folks, this story of randomness, humor, and all 'round bad luck for Bumblebee is now over. I hope this is an appropriate end, and I hope I have stayed true to the characters throughout this story. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Conclusion

Back at base, Bumblebee was making a few minor adjustments to the contraption he and Sari had been working on. Sari was currently watching Bee as he tinkered with a pulley system hanging from the ceiling. She kept far away from him, just in case he fell from the rafters he was hazardously leaning from.

"Bee," she called up to him, "I can see this is some kind of fancy prank that's going to get you into trouble, but, I don't know _why_ you're doing it. I mean, wasn't the lecture you got when they rescued you from Dinobot Island enough to last you for a while?"

Bumblebee looked down where Sari stood. He rolled his optics and then began to climb down from the ceiling. _I guess I'm gonna have to explain it to you, huh?_ he thought as he worked his way onto one of the production line arms that they had set to reach up into the rafters to allow easy access for Bumblebee to the ceiling. Once he was low enough where he could jump without damaging himself, he leaped from his perch and landed on all fours on the factory floor. Sari trotted up to him as he stood. He then picked her up and sat her on his shoulder as he left the living room for his quarters. He had come up with an idea as soon as he landed.

Once in his room, he went over to his desk and pushed some of the odds and ends onto the floor to make enough room to allow Sari to sit, then he brought up the messaging program on his computer screen.

"Oh, look," Sari said as she pointed to the screen as the program opened, "you got a message from your mom. Aww!"

Sure enough, there was an unread message that said "From: Mom" on the screen. Bumblebee waved Sari's hand away from the screen and brought up a new message box.

"Aren't you going to see what your mom has to say?" Sari asked, barely containing a bout of giggles.

_I don't have to answer to my mom!_ Bumblebee wouldn't have said that aloud, of course, not even if he could. Instead, he began typing away on his keyboard.

"_You asked why I'm building that trap. Well, you remember when I got back from Dinobot Island and Prime promised me no one would tease me about being speechless anymore?"_

He stopped typing and allowed Sari to read what he wrote. She nodded as she read it. "Yeah, I remember."

He turned back to the computer and started typing again.

"_Well, no one's stopped! They weren't as bad as before, but they still did it! And then Optimus teased me when we came back and told him about Blitzwing. I didn't think the Boss-bot would do that. So, I'm going to get them when they come back. Every single one of them. Especially Prowl. He's been asking for it since day one!"_

"Ok, I get it." Sari said after she finished reading the message. "Do you think this is the best way though? I mean, that trap could be considered overkill."

"_When have I ever done something that wasn't BIG?"_

Sari grinned. "You're size, that's one thing."

"_Hey, don't start. Or you may find some of my pranking genius directed at you."_

"All right, all right." Sari laughed, throwing up her hands in surrender, knowing Bumblebee would make good on his threat. "Hey, let's see what your mom has to say."

"_No. Don't you know it's illegal to read someone else's mail?"_

* * *

"Well, it's getting kinda late, and I'm worn out." Kup said as he closed a panel on his ship. "I think I'm ready to call it a day."

Up on top of the ship Bulkhead held a replacement panel in place while Blaster welded it on. Blaster rolled his optics when he heard Kup's statement.

"He's wore out?" he said. "Tell me, Bulky, who do you think's been doin' all the work around here?"

Bulkhead grinned. "Not him."

"Got that right." Blaster laughed as he finished welding the metal sheet.

"Is he always like that?"

"Like what? Getting someone else to do his work for him? Yeah." The two bots stood up and admired their work. Most of the damage to the armor plating of the ship had been repaired, thanks to them. The other bots were busy repairing other things, like the engine and the landing gear, which they just discovered failed after their landing on Earth.

"I think he does it 'cause he's so old, y'know?" Blaster said. "I keep tellin' him to go ahead and retire, but he keeps right on. Complaining and moaning day 'n' night." Blaster grinned. "I think he enjoys it."

They climbed down the ladder leaning on the side of the ship and saw Ratchet and Kup standing a few paces away from the gangplank, doubtlessly swapping stories about the good old days. Prime was standing next to the landing gear, looking up into the space where it was stored while the ship was in flight. The two bots decided to go over and see what he was doing.

When they got there, Prime called up into the opening, "Can you see what has them jammed?"

"I think it the better question would be 'what doesn't have them jammed?'." Suddenly, Prowl poked his head out of the opening and looked down at Prime. "There's so much clutter, rust, and space barnacles up here it's a wonder the landing gear deployed at all when they landed."

"So, it's nothing we can repair at the moment?" Optimus asked.

Prowl shook his head and then dropped down to the ground, as gracefully as ever. He stood back up and brushed off some rust that had got on his arm. "I think this vessel should be condemned. You and I both know it's not safe."

"Yeah, that ain't gonna happen." Blaster said with a shake of his head. "This piece o' junk is as old as Kup himself and it's seen as much action as he has. There's no way he's gonna get rid of it."

"Then perhaps when you get back to Cybertron you can have the landing gear replaced. No patch-up job is going to fix it." Prowl said as he looked back up the way he had come.

"That's gonna run up quite a price." Blaster said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I guess it will. I really don't know much about this kind of thing. I'm a Cyber-ninja, not a repair bot."

Suddenly, Kup called over to them, "Hey, how about we get this part over to that young bot, and then once he's patched up tomorrow we come back out here and finish the job?"

"I think that's a good idea." Optimus called back. "Come on," he said to the three standing around him, "you and Kup are welcome to stay at the plant tonight, Blaster."

"I could do with a change of scenery." Blaster said with a grin.

* * *

An hour later, after they put away the tools they had worked with and Kup made sure everything on their ship was locked up tight and the security system was working, they arrived at the abandoned plant. They all transformed and Kup looked the old building up and down.

"And you kids say my ship is a piece of junk and needs to be condemned?" he asked, glancing at Bulkhead, Prowl, and Blaster. As Kup, Ratchet, and Optimus continued on to the door, the other three hung back slightly.

"You think he knows what we said?" whispered Bulkhead.

"I think so, big guy. He's freaky like that." Blaster whispered back.

"Uncanny." Prowl added with a nod.

As they entered the front door, the first thing they noticed was that the base was unusually dark. Only the barest minimum of light was on. Usually, all the lights in the main room were turned on, along with the TV and a video game.

"You think Bumblebee hasn't been back?" Ratchet asked as they stepped into the room.

"I don't know, but he better be here." said Prime as he looked around.

They didn't know it, but when they entered, their feet had set off a trip wire. Now, a whirring sound came from above them. And as one, their heads shot up to see what was making the noise. What they saw on the ceiling was a pulley, connected by a rope to a lever, which slipped open the bottom hatch of a box, conveniently positioned above them. As the lid opened, it dropped a number of large, bulging balloons down on their heads. Every single one of them burst as they made contact with the surprised Autobots or floor beneath, covering them with something cold and wet.

"Paint? _Pink_ paint!" Blaster yelped as he tried unsuccessfully to rid himself of the slimy substance. "No, no, no! Not my paintjob, man!"

"This has Bumblebee written all over it." growled the now pink-colored Ratchet.

"What the slag is this?" Kup said as he wiped the pink away from his optics.

"Bumblebee!" Optimus cried, knowing the bot in question couldn't be too far away. He looked at the others behind him; they were all covered in pink blotches. There were only two who managed to escape being totally covered. And that was Prowl because he was able to leap away before too much of the splattering paint hit him, thanks to his ninja reflexes, and Bulkhead, who was following behind everyone, so he only got a small splatter on his feet.

Suddenly, everyone turned as they heard the thumping of running servos as Bumblebee dashed from his room where he and Sari had been surfing the web. He burst into the room with a cheeky grin on his faceplates, and a camera in his hands.

_Ha! I got ya good!_ He raised the camera to his face and looked down the viewfinder, snapping the shot as soon as it was focused. As he looked at the display screen on the camera, he noticed the group in his picture had two extra bots. With a puzzled expression, he dropped the camera to see with his own optics if he was seeing correctly. He counted the glaring faces again and was sure this time that there _were_ two extra.

_Um, I know you can't hear me right now, but who are those guys?_ He pointed to the two new bots, which were both glaring daggers at him.

"Bumblebee," Optimus said, struggling to force his voice to stay calm, "this is Sergeant Kup and Blaster. They brought your replacement part."

"Why'd you have to use pink, small fry?" Blaster asked, still fussing over his ruined paintjob. "No self-respecting mech goes around in pink!"

"Look at this!" Kup shook the container that held the replacement part. "All this pink ooze just ruined it. I hope you're happy now, 'cause I am not bringing you another replacement."

_What? Ruined?_ Bumblebee's jaw dropped slightly and his optics got big. _No! This isn't fair!_

"I've had it with you and all these problems you keep causing us! Come here right now." Ratchet stormed over to Bumblebee, who couldn't turn and run fast enough before the enraged medic's servos clamped down on his right arm and another equally pink pair grabbed the other. He was now caught between both a grumpy Ratchet and a grouchy Kup.

_No! I'm too young to go off-line! Spare me! I'm sorry, I really am. Please, no!_ Bumblebee struggled with all his might to get free, but the two old bots were stronger, and more determined to end this. They dragged him away from the living room and down the hall to Ratchet's med bay.

"I'm going to need my wrench for this." Ratchet said as they entered the room.

_What? No, not that!_

"And my welding torch."

_Oh, please, just off-line me quickly. Hey, get that thing away from me! Someone help!_

* * *

The other bots remained where they were and looked on after him, not feeling sorry for the troublemaker in the least.

Bulkhead started to feel awkward in the silence, so spoke up. "I guess we should get this mess cleaned up."

"No. Just clean yourselves off. We'll let Bumblebee handle this tomorrow." Optimus said as he turned to go to the washroom before the paint dried anymore. Why did Bumblebee have to choose the quick dry stuff?

"But it will have dried by then." Prowl stated as he began to follow.

"That's the point. It'll be harder to get up. A perfect punishment."

"It's gonna be hard enough to get off as it is." Blaster said, picking off chips of paint as they walked.

"I've got a paint remover in my studio," Bulkhead told him as he followed the bots who were leaving a pink trail behind them, "maybe it will help get this stuff off."

"Get it, Bulky. Get it. I can't leave tomorrow being as pink as a femme!"

* * *

The next morning, Bumblebee slowly awoke to the sight of a bright, blinding light above his head. He knew immediately that he was in Ratchet's med bay because of it. He also noticed a slight throbbing on the back of his processer. He rubbed the place on the back of his helm and felt a shallow dent. The last thing he remembered the night before was Ratchet looking for his wrench. He hoped he was wrong, but he suspected he knew where that dent came from. The other thing he noticed was that he was still alive. He sighed in relief. After that night, and how Ratchet and the new bot, Kup, acted, he didn't think he was going to see the light of another day.

_Ok, really. Ratchet wouldn't try to off-line me. He's a doc-bot!_ Bumblebee reassured himself. He really hoped Ratchet wouldn't try that.

Deciding that since he was alive it would be ok for him to sit up, Bumblebee slowly lifted himself. A groan escaped his lips and he reached back to hold his throbbing head again as a wave of dizziness rolled over him. He closed his optics to stop the spinning.

"Ratchet said that you shouldn't be getting up, Bee. You went through quite a surgery after all."

Bumblebee opened his optics to see Sari sitting on the berth next to him. She smiled at him and stood. "You need to lay back down now. Before Ratchet comes back and sees you up."

Bee did as she said, and lay back down. He groaned again as his head started to throb because of the movement.

Suddenly, it hit him. He made a noise.

"Wait!" he yelped and shot back up into a sitting position. His head protested the sudden movement and started pounding away.

"Ow! Sari, I can talk! Oooh. Man, my head hurts. Why does it hurt? Oh, it hurts when I talk. But that's just it, I'm talking!"

"Bumblebee, lay back down, right now." Sari ordered and gently pushed him back down. "And your head hurts because of that knockout gas or whatever it was that Ratchet used on you before he fixed you."

"Knock-out gas? You mean knockout wrench! I have a dent on the back of my helmet!" He talked as loudly as he could without causing his processer to hurt, which was nothing more than a whisper.

"No, he said he used some kind of gas, I think. He wouldn't hit you."

"Yeah, right." But he grinned anyway. "Sari, it's great to hear my voice again! Oh, how I missed hearing me!"

Sari laughed. "It's great to hear you too, Bee. Finally!"

"But, that old geezer, what's his name? Kup? He said my part was ruined."

The eight-year-old shrugged. "I guess he lied. You did make him pretty mad. When I saw him, he was ranting a mile a minute!" She looked around the room, and then leaned closer to Bumblebee and said in a whisper, "I think he's grumpier than Ratchet!"

"What? No way." Bumblebee said in disbelief.

"Yes way!"

Bumblebee shook his head. "Not looking forward to meeting him then."

At that moment, they heard footsteps coming through the door, so they both turned to look, and saw Ratchet entering the med bay.

"Well, it looks like you pulled through. How do you feel?" Ratchet said, getting right to the doctoring.

"Well, I feel like Bulkhead did the Mexican hat dance on my processor, but other than that, I'm great! Can I get up and leave now?" he asked eagerly, lifting himself up slightly.

"No. Not until that headache eases up. We don't want you hurting yourself again, 'cause I want you out of my med bay just as much as you do."

"Aww, come on, Doc Bot. Let me out?"

Ratchet shrugged. "Ok then, but just to let you know, as soon as you leave, Optimus is going to put you to work cleaning up that mess in the main room." Ratchet smiled as he informed the young bot of his impending punishment.

"Uh, you know, on second thought, I think you're right. I should stay here a bit longer." Bumblebee said as he laid back and closed his optics again.

"That's the first smart thing you've decided to do since this ordeal started." Ratchet said as he crossed his arms.

"Humph. I don't think so."

"Everyone else does. You better be glad I decided to fix you now, instead of making you wait as punishment."

He knew that Ratchet wouldn't have made him wait. The Doc Bot knew how annoying Bumblebee would have gotten if he knew that his voice box was being withheld from him. Bumblebee grinned at the thought.

* * *

It didn't take long for Ratchet to let Bumblebee leave. It was sooner than he wanted to, but the young bot wouldn't stop asking 'to be freed'. So, Bumblebee and Sari left the med bay, and headed straight for the busiest room in the plant to announce the revival of Bumblebee's voice. Just as Bumblebee thought, the TV was on, and a few bots were sitting in front of it. There was Prime, Bulkhead, Prowl, and the two new bots, Blaster and Kup. Bumblebee also noticed that there were still pink spots on their armor, and he grimaced. He would have thought it would have been hilarious if it were just his friends who were caught in the trap. Visitors, and visitors he had never met before at that, kind of took the fun out of the prank. He knew how the team would react, not these two. Oh, well, he figured he could laugh about the prank after they left.

As he came up, the five bots turned at the sound of his approach.

"Little Buddy! You're up!" Bulkhead stood up and came to him. "Well, how are you?"

"I'm awesome!" Bee answered. Bulkhead caught Bee up in a big bear hug and laughed.

"It's good to hear your voice again. It's been way too quiet."

"I guess the human saying is true," said Prowl, "All good things must come to an end."

"Hey!" Bumblebee said as Bulkhead placed him back on his feet. "I've had enough of your teasing. Now that I can talk, I can defend myself!" he stood with his hands on his hips and glared at the ninja, just daring him to try something.

Prowl shook his head in amusement. "I'll stop the teasing. All right, Bumblebee?"

"Yeah, you want to stop now because I can shoot them right back, and you realize your way out of your league!"

Prowl turned to head out the front door, choosing to ignore the yellow bot.

"Hey, don't you turn tail and run. Get back here!" He chased Prowl to the door, calling after him as he transformed and drove away. Bumblebee turned back to the bots and girl and waved.

"See ya later! I got a month and a half of backed up revenge waiting for that nature freak. Hey, Prowl, wait up!" he called as he transformed and sped after the fleeing ninja-bot. "Why are you running? Afraid of little ole me? Get back here you cyber-ninja chicken!"

Kup and Blaster looked at each other from where they still sat at the couch, and shook their heads.

"Is he always this obnoxious?" Kup asked.

"He's just being Bumblebee." Sari answered with a laugh. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

**The End**

* * *

Thanks for all the support and help many of you have contributed. This story would never have been finished if it weren't for all you readers. Thank you for sticking with me through this long, long ride. :)


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